Descendants: Of Stands, Hamon and Bizarre Adventures
by AndrewK9000
Summary: A series of strange and twisted events leads Audrey to unleash a vampire upon the worlds. It's up to her, Mal, Ben and their fellow VK's and AK's to save Auradon from not only a plague of undead horrors, but to stop the mysterious organization known as Shadowcast. Alliances will be formed, hearts broken and lives forever changed. But just who or what is the true evil?
1. Prolog

_Greetings fellow readers and writers! Here's my latest insane project to crawl out of my imagination and I hope you like it! Okay, you might be asking why I'm starting a new story when I'm in the middle of one already. The answer is simple; I've hit a snag with Obsidian Wars 2 and was inspired to write this one. I'll keep posting new chapters for Obsidian Wars 2 whenever I can, but for now I'm focusing on this one._

 _This time around we're delving into uncharted territory, for me that is, for this story crosses source material I've never used before but had wanted to for some time now; Descendants and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Being a fan of Descendants and eager for the third movie, I've been wracking my brain for a fanfiction idea. But as of February 2018, I finally got down to watching JoJo. Just as I got to the awakening of The Pillar Men, an idea struck me like lightning; a vampire is unleashed upon the world of Audradon and it's up to Mal and her fellow VK's and AK's to save the world from the undead plague, with magic, Hamon, Stands and, of course, friendship as their weapons._

 _As usual I own nothing in this fic save original characters of my own creation, so please don't sue me, I'm only trying to tell a story I hope will be enjoyed by many. But without a doubt, there'll be those who won't enjoy it for various reasons, which is your right to, just don't bombard me with overly negative reviews or hateful trolling. As a recent victim of trollish filth, it is my opinion that those whom use the anonymity of the internet to hurt other people's feelings for their own twisted pleasure are the lowest forms of human life. As for everyone else, just remember that_ _ **THIS IS FANFICTION!**_

 _And now, without further delay, the story begins…_

 **Prolog**

"We should have heard something by now," said a worried Doug as he, Lonnie, Jane, Audrey and Ben sat in a hospital waiting room, the five of them looking much worse for wear and anxious almost to the breaking point. A nearby window flashed from an approaching thunderstorm, further emphasizing the gloomy atmosphere.

Instead of their usual school uniforms or casual outfits, the young King of Auradon and his friends wore clothing better suited for combat: lightweight, formfitting yet flexible to allow freedom of movement, various leather and metal armor pieces to protect vital spots.

All five sported sporadic scrapes, bruises and bandaged cuts, while Doug's left arm was in a sling. Lonnie sat in a wheelchair with a pressure bandage around her right thigh.

"Just let the doctors do their work, Ben," said Jane as she tried not to scratch her heavily bandaged hands, "as soon as they have anything to tell us, they will."

"It's been six hours!" snapped Ben as he slammed his fist on a table, scattering a pile of magazines, "why haven't we heard anything?!" he then threw another pile of magazines to the floor, bent down and began ripping them apart.

"Okay, now you're just making a mess," said Doug.

"This whole situation is a mess!" exclaimed Ben, whom then tore a magazine in half with his teeth.

" _Now_ he's making a mess," said Lonnie

"He's entitled," said Jane in an exhausted tone, "we all are, especially after what happened tonight."

"It's finally over," said Doug, "Bloodclaw is gone, and with it, Shadowcast."

"Are you sure?" asked Lonnie, "are we really be sure? After all the times we fought Bloodclaw and it got away, can we be absolutely certain it is truly dead? And let's not forget that Shadowcast keeps cropping up just when you think they're defeated once and for all."

"We blew up their headquarters and burned Bloodclaw," said Jane, "all of us, we saw that undead horror burn! There's nothing left of Cassandra Bloodclaw but ashes."

"Even so," said Lonnie, "we should have waited until sunrise. We should have stayed until the sun touched the ashes."

"If we stayed, then Evie and the others…" said Doug.

It was then that a doctor walked up to them, "umm…" he said hesitantly as he saw Ben's furious magazine tirade, "maybe I should come back in a while…"

"No, it's alright, doctor!" said Ben as he stood up, spitting out bits of chewed paper, "I'm alright, but…"

"Lady Mal and her fellow Islanders?" asked the doctor, "I'm afraid, your majesty, that I have good news and bad news about each of them."

"Start with the bad news for Pete's sake!" exclaimed Doug as he, Ben, Lonnie and Jane crowded around the doctor.

"Alright, alright!" said the doctor "just calm down. First thing's first, we've stabilized the four of them and they're out of danger, though they'll all need extensive time to recover from severe blood loss and physical traumas. It's a miracle they're all still alive. Though…"

"Though what?" asked Ben, "tell us the truth, please."

"They didn't come out of their ordeals unscathed," said the doctor in a serious tone, "Miss Evie suffered extreme spinal damage. I'm afraid she's paralyzed from the waist down."

"Oh God!" moaned Doug as he nearly collapsed, only to be helped up by Lonnie and Jane.

"Lady Mal and the other two are in better condition," said the doctor, "though not without sacrifice. Sir Carlos suffered severe acid burns to the right side of his face and may lose an eye. Sir Jay has extensive organ damage and will have to have a kidney removed, while Lady Mal, her left hand was infected with vampire essence. We stopped the infection before it reached further than her elbow, but her hand is already necrotizing. It will have to be amputated."

"Oh God!" moaned Doug again, while Ben, Lonnie and Jane looked just as distraught. But Audrey, she looked twice as shocked and appalled as the others put together.

"Can we…can we see them?" asked Ben hopefully.

"Yes, they're awake," said the doctor, "but only for a short time. They'll need a lot of rest and recovery in the days to come, not to mention at least one operation for each. But a few minutes won't hurt. This way please."

"This is my fault," muttered Audrey as she, Ben and the others followed the doctor through the hospital corridors to a recovery room where, on four beds hooked up to monitoring equipment, with I.V. tubes in their arms and legs and covered in bandages, some of which blood soaked, lay Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos.

"Hey guys," said Mal weakly, "how's it going? Heck of a victory party, huh?"

"Oh…baby!" wailed Jane as she rushed to Carlos's side and peppered the unbandaged half of his face with kisses, then kissed the other half through the bandages.

"Don't think losing some of your organs will excuse you from R.O.A.R. practice," said Lonnie to Jay, "as soon as your stitches heal, it's back to work, mister!"

"Are you kidding?" asked Jay, "this won't slow me down at all! In fact, I can beat you with one hand tied behind my back right now!"

"At least you can get up," said Evie, "seriously, doc, I just bruised my back or something, you can take the restraints off."

At that Doug looked at the doctor with puzzled eyes, as if asking if she didn't know the truth, to which the doctor shook his head.

"Oh, Mal, your hand," said Ben as he saw Mal's left hand covered in bandages, wincing at the smell of decaying flesh coming from it, "I should have been faster. If only…"

"If you were there you'd be bitten too," said Mal, "that thing would have gone for your throat and you'd be a vampire or a zombie thrall or worse, one of Cassandra's twisted freaks. I'm lucky that thing bit me on the bone. What's a hand compared to losing your life," she then held up her right hand, "at least it had the courtesy not to bite my drawing hand. Besides, I hear prosthetics are so advanced, it'll be like I never lost my had in the first place."

"This is so unfair," said Jane as she clutched her arms around Carlos's neck, "you're all suffering and I can't use magic to heal you."

"Magic doesn't work on vampire wounds," said Mal, "not for this kind of healing. I'm just glad our Stands and Hamon abilities..."

"What good is learning new powers if they can't save your hand?!" exclaimed Jane as she clutched Carlos tighter, earning a wince of pain from him, "Or Jay's organs?! Or Evie's back!? Or Carlos's eye!?"

"Jane," said Carlos.

"It's unfair that we couldn't use all our abilities to fight this nightmare," said Jane in a furious tone.

"Jane," said Carlos in a more urgent tone.

"And my mother," said Jane contemptuously, "my mother was no help at all! If she would just get it in her thick head that her philosophy of non-magical life skills isn't infallible, she'd be right here with her wand and you'd all be healed as soon as she'd say 'Bibbity Bobbity Boo!'"

"Jane!" said Carlos.

"In fact, I oughta get her wand right now!" said Jane, "I oughta march right into the museum and take the wand! And if my mother or anyone tries to stop me, I'll kick their butts so hard, they'll…"

"JANE!" gasped Carlos.

"What?!" snapped Jane.

"I…Can't…Breathe!" gasped Carlos.

"Oh, sorry!" exclaimed Jane as she realized she'd been choking him. She backed away and he coughed for breath.

"It'll be fine, Jane," said Evie, "we'll be fine, all of us. We'll get through this, just like we got through the evil of Cassandra Bloodclaw and Shadowcast."

"I'm still finding it hard to believe it's all over," said Jay, "those monsters and their twisted science are gone for good, while the other monster is finally dead, I mean, it was dead to begin with, but now it's gone for good."

"Just how sure are we that it's dead-dead?" asked Lonnie.

"Oh, not this again," complained Doug, "Accept it, Lonnie, it's over! Bloodclaw is gone!"

"How can we be sure?" asked Lonnie, "how can we be sure we burned all of the creature? For all we know we missed a bit and even as we speak, that bit of vampire is regenerating into another Bloodclaw."

"You want go back and check?" asked Ben in an annoyed tone, "be my guest! In fact, I'll drive you back there and you can shift through all the rubble and ashes to your hearts content!"

"Ben, chill!" said Mal, "it's alright. She's just tired."

"We're all tired," said Carlos, "and some of us are gonna be more tired pretty soon."

"Yeah, surgery, what fun," said Jay sarcastically. He then looked around the room, "hey, where'd Audrey go?"

"She was here a second ago," said Jane as she walked towards the corridor. She looked out and saw her walking towards the stairs, "there she is. Audrey! Audrey?!"

At that Jane and Lonnie hurried after Audrey. They got to the stairs and looked down, then looked up and saw Audrey running up the stairs to the rooftop.

"What's she doing?" asked Lonnie as she and Jane hurried up the stairs too, "she's not…she wouldn't…"

They reached the rooftop just as the first drops of rain from the gathering thunderclouds fell. Lonnie and Jane looked and saw Audrey standing at the railing at the edge of the room.

"Good grief, she would!" said Lonnie.

"She hasn't jumped yet," said Jane, "it's a good sign, right?" she and Lonnie cautiously walked to the railing and stood on either side of Audrey.

"Umm…nice night?" Jane asked as more rain fell on the three of them.

"At least it's a warm rain," said Lonnie as she ignored her now soaked condition.

"Yeah, wouldn't want to catch a cold," said Audrey in a distant tone.

"You're not thinking of doing anything stupid, are you?" Lonnie asked.

"Define stupid," said Audrey as she placed one foot on the railing.

"Oh, Audrey! Don't do it!" said Jane, "you've got so much to live for?"

"And what would that be?!" Audrey demanded, "thousands of innocent people dead, thousands more with ruined lives, friends mutilated for life…"

"It could be worse," said Lonnie, "it could have been much, much worse. But we put an end to it. The nightmare is over, Auradon and the world are safe," she then reached out to place a comforting hand on Audrey's shoulder.

Something fast and transparent lashed out from Audrey, forcing both Jane and Lonnie to jump away.

"Keep back," said Audrey coldly as a ghostly, plantlike humanoid female made from rose vines with whip-like arms materialized next to her, "I don't want to be responsible for any more suffering than I've already caused. I mean it! I'll harm you if you try and stop me!"

"And I'll harm you if you do try!" said Lonnie as a ghostly, humanoid Chinese dragon with orange, yellow and red scales, materialized and hovered next to her. Jane, meanwhile, took several deep breaths and a shining golden aura appeared around her body.

Audrey then calmed down somewhat and the plant woman vanished, merging into her body. "This is so stupid! My two besties want to hurt me to stop me from killing myself, while more of my friends need life-saving surgery, my ex-boyfriend has gone insane, and it's all my fault."

"We've been over this before, Audrey!" said Jane as the golden aura vanished from around her, while the humanoid dragon vanished into Lonnie, "no one blames you. But it's all over and we can go back to normal."

"Things haven't been normal since Ben first invited Mal and the others to the kingdom," said Lonnie, "but I agree. We won. Shadowcast is broken and Bloodclaw is slain. That thing is gone and never coming back!"

"Just a minute ago you were saying she may not be gone," said Audrey, "and stop calling her an it! She was a human being before…"

"We know who Shadowcast was before she became a vampire," said Jane, "but…"

"But nothing," said Audrey, "I have to do this. I have to accept responsibility. It's my fault our friends are hurt so much."

"You didn't hurt them!" said Lonnie, "it was Shadowcast that started the whole mess! And Bloodclaw, it…her…her brood of undead creeps!"

"You didn't make Bloodclaw," said Jane.

"I know," said Audrey, "but I'm just as responsible, remember? I didn't create Cassandra Bloodclaw, but I let her lose on the world."

"But you did create me," said a sinister voice barely above a whisper. Audrey, Lonnie and Jane looked around the roof and found no one.

"Oh, dearest JoJo," said the voice, "surely you know by now how stealthy I can be."

Lightning flashed at less than ten feet from the girls stood a figure wrapped in ragged bandages, wearing a motheaten cloak with the hood up. The figure's face was bandaged but its eyes glowed a sinister violet. It let lose a malicious cry that chilled Audrey, Lonnie and Jane to the bone.

" _WRRRRYYYY!"_

"You…" said a horrified Jane, "but…but, we burned you! You're dead!"

"That which is dead cannot die," said the figure, "but rises again, stronger than before!"

"Well…you certainly don't look strong, Cassandra," said Lonnie as she, Jane and Audrey regained their composure and courage, "in fact, you look ready to fall down any second!"

"My wounds will regenerate," said the figure, Cassandra, "but you three can relax, I have no intention of fighting you tonight. That's right, I'm leaving Auradon. I don't know when I'll be back, if I ever decide to come back. But the war against Shadowcast is over." She focused her glowing eyes on Audrey, whom flinched in fear and disgust, "enjoy your victory, dearest JoJo, you and your friends have earned it.

"As if we'd fall for that trick, Cassandra Bloodclaw!" said Audrey, "and don't you dare use my nickname!"

"But you said I could, JoJo," said Cassandra, "but if you insist on formalities, _Princess_ Audrey, then say my true name. Or have you forgotten it?"

"As if I'll forget," said Audrey, "Elisabeth."


	2. Chapter 1

_**Descendants: Of Stands, Hamon and Bizarre Adventures**_

 _ **By AndrewK9000**_

 _ **Part 1: Shadowed Rebirth**_

 _ **Chapter 1**_

Six months earlier, no one in The United States of Auradon would have believed that a horror stretching the limits of imagination was at their doorstep. Instead, the amalgamated kingdom's attention was focused on Auradon City as the capital played host to a global youth sports tournament, The Grand Challenge.

Representatives from all over the world had sent their young athletes to Auradon City to compete for honor, for glory and friendship, though some played harder than others. Case in point, the city-state of Transdoria, a small mountainous nation west of Auradon, whose five young athletes had dominated nearly every event in the tournament.

"This can't be happening," said Belle as she, Beast, Ben and Mal sat in the royal box of the tournament's immense stadium, "I must need glasses, there's no way this can be happening."

"It's happening alright, dear," said Beast, "those five titans from Transdoria are crushing us."

"And everyone else at the tournament, dad," said Ben, "but they seem to be focusing on humiliating Auradon every chance they get."

"Fourteen events and fourteen gold medals," said Mal, "either they're on drugs or cheating somehow."

"They passed every physical and medical test before each event," said Ben, "there's no way they're cheating." He and Mal then used binoculars to focus on the Transdorian team, consisting five boys aged 19 to 25, two of them being twins, all of them with hair in shades of blond, eyes in shades of blue, and each at least two meters tall and full of muscle.

"They're just very, very skilled," said Ben as he continued to watch, with just a hint of envy in his voice.

"And not without other positive aspects to," said Mal as she too watched the Transdorians, "all five are bothers and rather cute to boot."

At that Ben and his parents looked at Mal, whom looked back, "well…they are, but their attitude cancels out any feelings I have for them. Seriously, they're a bunch of jerks, the way they're bullying everyone around them, and how they seem to enjoy beating the snot out of their opponents. And don't get me started on their stupid victory dance their team cheerleaders do. Seriously, could they be bigger sore winners?"

"It's the way of their culture, Mal," said Belle, "one should never look down on another's way of expression. Though I have to agree that the Transdorians have been rather disrespectful."

"Disrespectful is just the tip of the iceberg, mom," said Ben, "the Transdorians, they think they're better than us."

"They're bullies," said Mal, "I should know, I grew up with enough of them to recognize one."

"At least they're not cheating," said Ben, "not in any way I can tell."

"Sure, they play fair, but even so," said Belle, "you'd think we'd win at least one event. If only the tournament organizer would allow Tourney or R.O.A.R. as events, then we'd show those bullyboys a thing or two."

"Yeah, but Tourney and R.O.R.A. aren't as well known in other countries as Auradon," said Ben, "the tournament organizers said we'd have an unfair advantage."

"And you call that fair?" asked Mal incredulously as she pointed at one of the Transdorians whom was warming up for a fencing match. The youth in question wielded an enormous saber long enough to impale a normal-sized man lengthwise.

"Jay's gonna have his hands full when he faces that goliath," said Ben.

"It'll be worth it for him," said Ben as he looked to where Jay, Carlos and the rest of Team Auradon waited, "he's been looking forward to this since the order of fencing matches was announced. He wants to duel Lonnie."

"They have become rivals of sorts," said Belle, "but friendly rivals of course."

"Speaking of Lonnie," said Beast, "while we've been fussing over Team Transdoria, she's about to win her semi-final match."

Belle, Ben and Mal then focused on the center of the arena, where two fencers were dueling. One scored the winning point at the audience erupted in cheers and clapping. The two fighters removed their masks, with Lonnie, after wiping her sweat-drenched brow, smiled and shook hands eagerly with her opponent.

"ALRIGHT LONNIE!" shouted Jane as she, Audrey, Evie and the rest of Team Auradon's cheerleaders perfumed their own modest victory dance.

"Way to go, captain!" said Jay as he, Carlos and the other Auradon athletes welcomed Lonnie back to their side of the arena.

"You're in the finals!" said Doug as he eagerly bounced over, a clipboard in one hand and grasping a whistle around his neck in the other.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious, assistant coach," said Lonnie as she sat down, gratefully accepting a cup of electrolyte-restoring fluids from Carlos, then rubbed Dude affectionately. "He was tough, but fair."

"You may have fought the last fair opponent in the event," said Carlos, "Jay, you're up next, and your opponent…"

"Karl von Karstein," said Jay as he looked across the arena, where his foe waited for the beginning of the match. Karl von Karstein was the tallest and leanest of his brothers, yet he still outweighed Jay in terms of sheer muscle mass.

"Nice knowing you, Jay," said Chad as he lounged nearby, "seriously, that guy's gonna kill you. Better forfeit while you have the chance."

"Just because Karl cleaned your sorry clock in the first round," said an annoyed Evie.

"I'm just saying Jay should avoid getting hurt unnecessarily," said Chad, "I was lucky to avoid getting hurt, but Jay might not."

"Oh shut up!" said Dude in an offended tone, "the rules and referees will stop that guy from hurting Jay," he then looked across towards Karl von Karstein, whom finished his warm-up by crushing a baseball-sized stone into pebbles, much to the delight of the crowd, "though in all seriousness, it may be better of Jay forfeits."

"No way!" said Jay as he stretched to warm-up, "no way in heck am I forfeiting to that big galoot! Lonnie and I have a pact; we're both gonna make it to the finals together."

"Just don't expect me to ask the refs to declare a draw," said Lonnie, "I'm gonna kick your butt halfway to the moon."

"Not if I kick it first," said Jay. With that he walked over to Lonnie, whom stood up and they embraced and kissed for luck.

Jay then picked up his blunt saber and dueling mask and walked to the center of the arena, drawing encouragement from the thunderous applause from the Auradon section of the crowd. Karl was already there waiting for him.

"Come on, Jay, show that muscled maniac he can't mess with Auradon!" cheered Mal as Jay and Karl listened to the referee's instructions. The two bowed to the referee, then to each other before donning their masks and assuming dueling stances. The referee blew his whistle and the match began.

"First to three points wins," said Beast as Jay and Karl's blades met, parried, thrust and lunged. The two had the freedom of movement of the circular dueling area, yet it soon became clear that Jay was outmatched from the start. Karl's height and arm length gave him the edge, allowing him to block all of Jay's attacks before he could get close.

"Come on, Jay! You can do it!" cheered Jane.

"Don't mess this up!" shouted Audrey, "the whole kingdom's watching! Even The Isle of the Lost is watching!"

"Don't distract him!" said Carlos, "he doesn't need to know his dad, my dad and Evie's mom are watching!"

"It might make him feel better," said Jane.

"I doubt it," said Carlos.

* * *

 _…Isle of the Lost…_

"Oh Come On!" exclaimed Jafar as he, Evil Queen and Curella de Ville, sat in a grungy apartment and watched the match on a flickering TV screen.

"You had a clear opening at a cheap shot, son!" said Jafar, "why didn't you take advantage of it?!"

"Your son isn't as ruthless as you wish him to be," said Evil Queen, "neither is my daughter. Our children have grown too far apart from us, am I right, Cruella?"

At that Cruella grunted in acknowledgement, her mouth full from chewing on her moth-eaten fur coat, clearly upset at Carlos's earlier elimination from the tournament.

"He's playing with him," said Jafar, "that oversized boy is toying with my son! Look, he hasn't scored a single point yet but is letting my son wear himself out! Now that's how you cheat!"

"It's not cheating," said an annoyed Evil Queen. "None of the von Karsteins cheat, though I have to give them props for their unsportsmanlike behavior. Oh look, he just scored a point."

"Jay did?!" exclaimed Jafar, "oh, wait, no, it was the von Karstein boy."

* * *

 _…Auradon City…_

"Zero to one," said Ben as he banged his fist on the side of his chair, annoyed at the cheering from the Transdorian supporters in the crowd "and Jay's getting tired."

"He can still win this," said Mal as the two fighters touched blades and continued the match, "look, Jay's changing tactics."

True enough, Jay began focusing on flanking his opponent instead of attacking straight on, attempting to use Karl's heavier mass to get around and score a point from the side. Jay faked to the left and then touched Karl's exposed right side. Those supporting Auradon in the audience cheered ecstatically, while the Transdorian fans politely yet dryly clapped.

"Now we're getting serious," said Ben, "Jay's found Karl's weakness. He may be stronger but he's slower."

The match resumed and Jay tried to flank Karl again. But this time Karl was ready for Jay's bluff. He charged at Jay much more aggressively and it was all Jay could do to block Karl's blade.

It was then that Karl attacked with so much force, he knocked Jay's saber out of his hand with an accompanying cry of pain from Jay as he clutched at his wrist. The audience winced audibly as the referee blew the whistle and made Karl back off.

"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Lonnie as she and the others looked on worriedly as the referee and several medics looked at Jay's wrist.

"That giant jerk!" snapped Mal, her eyes beginning to glow green with her building rage, "he cheated! That move was totally illegal!"

"Mal, cool it!" said Ben as he comfortingly grabbed Mal by the arms, "Jay's alright!"

"He's not alright!" said Mal, "I could hear the bone snap in his wrist from up here!"

"It's probably just a sprain," said Belle in a reassuring tone.

"Either way, Jay can't continue," said Beast, "which mean the von Karstein boy wins the match by default."

"Not if the referee disqualifies the cheating jerk!" said Mal as her eyes returned to normal, yet she held Ben's hand tight as an outlet for her anger.

The referee and several event officials then talked for a minute, before the referee addressed the audience, "after careful consideration, it is determined that the challenger from Transdoria used a legal disarming strategy. With the Auradon challenger unable to continue, Karl von Karstein wins the match by default and advances to the final round!"

The roof of the arena nearly blew off by the sheer bedlam of the audience, with the Transdorian supporters cheering their lungs out and the Auradon supporters booing, hissing and cursing at Karl and his team.

"Oh, that stupid victory dance!" snapped Audrey as she and her friends glared across at the Transdorian cheerleaders as they performed an almost ballet-like dance, "could they be any smugger?"

"And their coach isn't helping," said Jane as she saw a man several inches shorter than the five von Karstein brothers congratulate Karl with overenthusiastic pride, "he is their father, though, so I guess he's entitled."

"Wish my dad was as proud of me," said Jay as he sat down and let the medics further examine his wrist.

"Are you alright?" asked a worried Lonnie.

"It's just a sprain, I think," said Jay, "you're gonna need all the luck in the world, Lonnie, that guy's just way too strong."

"I told you to forfeit but you didn't listen," said Chad, "now you're here with a busted wrist and a busted ego."

"Oh, shut up, Chad!" said an annoyed Audrey, "can't you see Jay's been hurt enough?"

"I'm fine, really," said Jay, "though my dad isn't, he's probably freaking out right about now."

"Your dad's not freaking out," said Carlos, "my mom is, but not your dad."

"Oh yeah?" asked Jay, "I'll bet my dad's ripping apart one of your mom's old coats. In fact, I'll bet right this very minute, my dad and your mom are fighting over a coat to rip apart."

* * *

 _…Isle of the Lost…_

"Give me that thing!" shouted Jafar as he tried to take Cruella's coat, "I need to vent my anger on an inanimate object!"

"You're an inanimate object!" Cruella shouted back, "it's my coat, I'll destroy it! Go destroy something of your own!"

"Quiet! Both of you!" spat Evil Queen, "it's almost time for Mulan's brat to lose. Oh, and guess who's coming over for a last-minute pep talk?"

* * *

 _…Auradon City…_

"Mom, what are you doing here?" asked Lonnie as Mulan walked up to her.

"Offering my daughter advice," said Mulan as she and Lonnie sat down, "your father wanted to come to, but I convinced him to stay in the audience and keep Mushu from getting into trouble. So, you're up next."

"Don't I know it," said Lonnie. She looked across to where Karl was sitting, eagerly waiting for the match. Karl pointed at Lonnie, then made a thumbs down gesture.

"He's gonna eat you alive," said Dude after he jumped into Lonnie's lap, "I mean, he wouldn't actually do that, but he's big and mean enough to try."

"You still have a chance to forfeit," said Chad, "give up and spare yourself the humiliation of losing."

"SHUT UP, CHAD!" shouted Lonnie, Jay and the others.

"I still find it hard to believe he's Cinderella's son," said Mulan.

"I have to go to school with him," said Lonnie, "okay, so, you were about to give me advice, mom?"

"First of all, don't panic," said Mulan, "sure, he's taller and stronger than you, and about as ornery as a she-panda protecting her young. But you're faster than him and twice the sword master he'll ever be, and if my guess is right, you've got more honor in one finger than that boy's whole family ever will."

"Honor is only as good as the conviction to back it up," said Phil as the old satyr and former trainer of Hercules waddled up, "sorry it took me so long to get here, short legs, you know. Okay now, kid, you got three things going for you in the face of a bigger and stronger opponent; speed, agility, brains, luck."

"Yeah, outsmart the jerk," said Carlos, "in fact, I'll bet all five of them aren't that smart."

"You'd think their bodily slavery is compensating for something," said Doug as he and the others saw Karl's four brothers passing the time by lifting weights.

"Yeah, well, muscles are only as good as what you use them for," said Phil, "one last piece of advice, kido," he then whispered something into Lonnie's ear.

"You think that'll work?" asked Lonnie.

"He might be dumb enough to fall for it," said Phil, "but use it as a last resort."

"And if all else fails," said Jay, "try the old 'your shoes are untied' trick."

"But we don't have shoelaces on our boots," said Lonnie, indicating the fencing footwear.

"I know that and you know that," said Jay, "but does he know that? Oh, and I think Mal and Ben are trying to get your attention."

Lonnie looked towards the royal box, where Ben and Mal were holding up a large, hastily-drawn sign that said 'YOU CAN DO IT, LONNIE!' in color-shifting letters and surrounded by stars and improvised fireworks.

Lonnie gave Ben and Mal a thumbs up, then gave her friends the thumbs up before picking up her mask and foil and walked onto the arena floor.

"She's gonna die, you all know that right," said Chad as Lonnie and Karl faced off, glaring at each other as they listened to the referee.

"Gosh darn it, Chad! That's enough!" snapped Audrey, "every since you were eliminated from the competition, you've been such a Negative Nancy! You're a wet blanket dragging everyone down!"

"I'm just calling it like it is, Audrey," said Chad innocently, "what, can't I tell the truth?"

"Not when it makes everyone feel bad," said Audrey, "not when it interferes with team morale! God, you can be such a moron sometimes!"

"I'm not stupid, Audrey!" said Chad, "I'm just…I'm a little…you know…"

"What? Self-centered?" asked Audrey, "Narcissistic? Egotistic? An overall selfish brat?"

"And a thief," said Carlos, "seriously, I had to change the lock on my room three times since The Cotillion."

"But your 3D printer is so cool," said Chad.

"Then get your own, for crying out loud!" snapped Chad.

Just then the audience cheered loudly, with Mulan and Phil cheering the loudest.

"In case you're wondering," Jane, "Lonnie, just scored the first point."

True enough, Lonnie out maneuvered and outpaced Karl into landing a solid hit. The two faced each other, touched blades and the match resumed. Lonnie then improvised several feints and false attacks that left Karl utterly confused, allowing her to score a second point.

"One more and she wins!" shouted Jay as the cheering from the Auradon half of the crowd died down.

"Come on, Lonnie!" cheered both Ben and Mal, while Belle and Beast hung on to the edge of their seats in anticipation.

"Time Out!" shouted Heinrich von Karstein as he gestured to Karl to come over. Lonnie went back to her side of the arena and took a drink of water.

"Now what?" asked Jay as he and the others watched Heinrich whisper something to Karl. The younger von Karstein nodded in acknowledgement.

"I don't know but I don't like it," said Jane, "oh, Lonnie, be careful."

"I'll try," said Lonnie, "I'm gonna end it quick before he tries whatever he's planning." She walked back into the ring and, after donning her mask, touched blades with Karl.

The match resumed and Lonnie went on the attack again, only to falter when Karl let lose a bellowing cry of rage as he charged at her like a mad bull. It was all Lonnie could do to defend herself as Karl wildly swung his oversized saber at her. She lost balance and nearly fell over, at which Karl jabbed the end of his saber hard against Lonnie's side, scoring a point.

The crowd let lose a mix of cheers and jeers as Lonnie, her confidence shaken, walked up to the center and touched blades with Karl. Again he charged headlong at her, bellowing madly. This time Lonnie panicked and backed away and nearly fell down. Karl lunged in and jabbed his saber, impacting with enough force to knock Lonnie down.

"Foul!" shouted Phil along with most of the Auradon supporters.

"He totally knocked her down!" shouted Carlos, "there's no way the referee will allow it!"

"Lonnie, are you alright?!" asked Mulan as she and Jay helped Lonnie back up while the referee talked with the event officials.

"He really wanted to hurt me," said Lonnie as she sat down, "it's not a game to him, it's personal."

"Either that or his father's making him fight so roughly," said Mulan as she glared across to Heinrich von Karstein, whom was alternating between offering encouraging words to Karl and looking back at Mulan with smug satisfaction.

The referee then spoke to the audience, "the contestant from Transdoria scored a valid hit. The point is awared to Karl von Karstein!"

The Transdorian supporters cheered and the Auradonians booed.

"Kill him! Kill the referee!" shouted Belle as she tried to climb out of the royal box and attack the arena floor, with Ben and Beast holding her back.

"Calm down, honey!" said Beast, "it's only a game."

"This is way more than a game, it's war!" exclaimed Belle.

"It's just a game, mom!" said Ben, "and it's far from over."

"Lonnie can still win," said Mal, "I know she can, and I don't even have to use magic to help her win."

"How can you be so sure?" asked Belle.

"Because she's got one thing going for her that the other guy doesn't have," said Mal, "she wants it."

* * *

"I want it," said Lonnie as she got back up, "I don't care how crazy this guy is, I'm gonna win. But even if I don't, I'll still win because I gave it my all."

"But you'll still lose," said Chad, "Karl'll get the gold medal and Transdorial will have walked all over Auradon."

"Chad, I swear," said an annoyed Audrey, "If you open your mouth one more time, I'm breaking up with you once and for all!"

"It's alright," said Lonnie confidently, "I know what to do." She walked into the ring and faced her opponent.

"Ready to lose, Auradonian?" asked Karl von Karstein in an overly smug tone.

"It's still anyone's game," said Lonnie, "anything can happen."

"Battle is no game, little girl," said Karl, "in combat, there is only victory or defeat. In battle, there is only the strong and the weak."

"I admit you're stronger than me," said Lonnie as she gave her opponent an eager smile.

"Then why are you smiling?" asked a confused Karl.

Lonnie donned her mask and assumed her fighting stance, "because I know something you don't know."

"And what's that?" asked Karl as he donned his mask and he touched his blade with Lonnie's.

"I'm not left handed!" said Lonnie.

"Huh?" asked Karl as he saw that Lonnie was holding her foil in her right hand and had been the whole time. The referee blew the whistle and Lonnie, taking advantage of Karl's confusion, struck before he could react and scored the winning point.

The Auradonians in the audience exploded with praise, drowning out the Transdoria supporters' clear displeasure at their champion's loss.

Jay and the others rushed into the ring and hoisted Lonnie on their shoulders, while Mal and Ben hurried from the royal box to join in on the celebration.

"You did it, Lonnie! You kicked his butt!" shouted Mal as Ben, Jay, Carlos and the other boys tossed Lonnie joyfully in the air.

"Never doubted for a second," said Chad.

"HEY YOU! AURADONIAN GIRL!" shouted one of the von Karstein brothers. This one, Stefan, the oldest, skulked towards Lonnie and the others, "you cheated!"

"I did not!" said Lonnie as the boys lowered her back to a standing position, "it's not my fault your brother's a little thick in the skull department."

"My brother's not stupid!" shouted another of the von Karstein brothers, the youngest, Gustav, while the twins, Fredrich and Wilhelm, both stood nearby, looking eager for a fight.

"Oh come on!" exclaimed Carlos, "you guys want trouble!?"

"You guys are one to complain after playing so rough throughout the whole tournament," said Jay.

"I've got this, my brothers," said Karl. He then walked right up to Lonnie, "we are not done yet, little girl!"

"Oh yes we are," said Lonnie, "the rules say first to three points and I did, so deal with it."

"We are not done," said Karl, "get back in the ring, now! We're going again!"

"I don't think so," said Ben, "Lonnie won fairly, whether you like it or not."

"I'll accept it when she concedes defeat!" snapped Karl.

"KARL!" snapped Heinrich von Karstein as he angrily walked over, at which Karl and his brothers snapped to attention.

"The match is over, my son," said Heinrich sternly, "as much as it pains me to admit, the young lady won."

"But…but…father!?" exclaimed Karl, while Stefan and the other three brothers looked ready to complain as well.

"But nothing!" barked Heinrich, "we're guests in this kingdom, which is no excuse to act so crassly. You did well but you lost, end of discussion! Now, congratulate your opponent like a gentleman!"

At that Karl looked ready to protest further, yet relented as he nodded in acknowledgement. He walked over and held out his hand to Lonnie, which she shook.

"Better luck next time, man," said Lonnie.

"Oh, there'll be a next time, alright," said Karl in a subtly sinister tone, "I'll insist on a rematch as soon as possible. There's no way I'll let this defeat remain a stain on the family name, count on it!" with that he gently but firmly shoved Lonnie's hand from his and he rejoined his brothers.

"Charming family," said Audrey dryly, "I hate to meet any of them in a dark alley at night."

"At least they're handling losing well," said Belle as she and Beast walked over, "for a second I was afraid a war was about to start."

"They wouldn't do that," said Lonnie, "sure, they're crazy, but they wouldn't start a war over a crummy sports medal, would they?"

"Wars have started over less," said Mulan, "and I wouldn't turn my back on the von Karsteins. He may not be the official ruler of Transdoria, but Karl von Karstein is very influential with the cash and manpower to back it up."

"As if having an unfriendly neighbor was trouble enough," said Ben as he looked up from a text on his phone.

"Another robbery?" asked Mal in a worried tone, "what's it this time? They hit a pharmacy again? Or another electronics store?"

"Not this time," said Ben, "the police commissioner wants to talk, that's all. I hope he's got something good to say, because I'm getting tired of lying the people they have nothing to worry about."

"We won't have anything to worry about tonight," said Evie, "we've got a victory bash to get ready for."

"Jumping the gun a bit?" asked Jay, "Lonnie hasn't even gotten her medal yet."

"And here it comes," said Carlos as the event officials brought over a velvet pillow on which lay a shining gold medal on a long ribbon.

"Well, your majesty," said Henrich to Ben as everyone cheered on Lonnie as she received her medal, "what do you think of my sons?"

"They're…impressive," said Ben, "you must be very proud."

"Very proud," said Heinrich, "the result of generations of selective breeding and a training regimen developed by my seven-times great-grandfather. Yes, my sons are the epitome of male perfection. But their perfection is only half of what they can be, except for my eldest. You've seen his lovely bride, Claudette?"

"Yes," said Ben as he looked over to where Stefan stood with a tall young woman of about 23 with long, sandy blond hair, cradling an infant in her arms. At her side was a little boy of about 3 years old with the same shade of blond hair.

"You must be very proud of them," said Ben in a slightly uncomfortable tone, "they must be very happy."

"He is happy, my son," said Heinrich, "to have found such an agreeable spouse, yet his brothers haven't found their matches yet. Which is what I wanted to talk to you about, your majesty."

Mal, distracted by Lonnie holding up her gold medal to thunderous praise from the audience, looked and saw Heinrich talking to Ben. Ben almost did a double take as he heard Heinrich's words, his face turning pale with shocked disbelief.

"We'll work out the details later during this evening's festivities," said Heinrich to Ben, "but I know you'll come to the right decision long before then. Until our next meeting, your majesty." He gave a polite bow and, with his sons, daughter in law and grandchildren in tow, left the arena.

"What was that all about?" a worried Mal asked as she walked over.

"Huh? Oh, nothing," said Ben, "he just wanted to talk to me later tonight, that's all. Let's go see what the police commissioner wants to talk about."

Yet as Mal and Ben left the arena, she sensed that not all was well with Ben's brief conversation with Heinrich von Karstein. She kept thinking about it as she and Ben drove across Auradon City to the manufacturing district, where several police vehicles and uniforms officers were setting up small pieces of strange equipment. One of the policemen directed Ben and Mal to a short, slightly balding man wearing glasses and a tan jacket.

"Commissioner Addlerson?" asked Ben.

"My liege!" said the man, Commissioner Addlerson as he gave a hasty salute and bow at once, "so good of you to come at such short notice."

"You said you have a lead on the robberies," said Ben.

"That I do, my liege, that I do!" said Commissioner Addlerson, "but before we go into that bit of details, I must brief you and Lady Mal again on the reason why we're here."

"We know why we're here," said Mal, "some crazy thieves are stealing pharmacy drugs and electronic gadgets from stores and warehouses in broad daylight."

"And they leave no clues behind," said Ben, "or reliable witnesses."

"To be more specific, your majesty," said one of the police officers, a woman in a plain clothes suit and a detective's shield, "every potential witness we've questioned says the robberies were over before they knew they were being robbed."

"Detective Walters is right, my liege," said Commissioner Addlerson, "not only do the criminals leave no evidence, they commit their crimes so fast, they appear as little more than streaky blurs on surveillance cameras.

"Then how are you going to catch them?" asked Ben, "and how sure they'll strike here and now?"

"Where are we anyway?" asked Mal.

"This is a warehouse for electronics, Lady Mal," said Detective Walters, "while the suspects have left no physical evidence, their behavior is a clue itself. They always strike every other day at 3PM," she checked her watch, "and it is now 2:51 PM. Also, there is a pattern to the location of the robberies."

"This warehouse is the most logical prediction for their next target," said Commissioner Addlerson, "and before you ask how we're going to catch them, behold!"

He indicated the devices the police officers were setting up, "anti-magic field generators," he said, "for we believe the criminals are using enchantments to move at near impossible speed and modify the memories of witnesses."

"They'll activate at 3PM," said Detective Walters, "and stop the criminals in their tracks, or at least slow them down enough so we can slap cuffs on the perps."

"Are you sure this will work?" asked Mal as she eyed the anti-magic devices, "I mean…how sure are you that the thieves are using magic?"

"95% sure, Lady Mal," said Detective Walters, "we have almost a hundred officers in the area, ready to pounce as soon as the devices are triggered." She then received a confirmation signal from one of the officers, "the devices are set and armed. This way please!"

Mal and Ben were shown to a nearby police van disguised as a delivery truck. Inside were more officers watching multiple surveillance cameras set up over the areal.

"Just a few minutes now till 3," said Detective Walters, "then we'll know whether or not we wasted a lot of taxpayer money."

"I don't like it, Ben," said Mal.

"Yeah, me too," said Ben, "using magic to commit crimes, disgusting. Whoever these criminals are, they've earned a one-way pass to The Isle of The Lost, no offense."

"It's alright," said Mal, "and it's not that that's bothering me. It's these anti-magic thingies, they creep me out."

"Why?" asked Ben, "it's not like you use magic all the time anymore."

"I know," said Mal, "and I don't want to use magic all the time, but it makes me feel better knowing that I still can if I really, really need to. How would you feel if you had magic and suddenly you couldn't use it anymore?"

"I…guess I'd feel just as bad as you do about it," said Ben, "but I'm sure the effect is only temporary, right?" he looked at Detective Walters, "right?"

"Oh, yes, it's only temporary," said Detective Walters, "as long as you remain in an active anti-magic field. Then again, and remember that I'm no expert on the subject, the effects of the field can linger, depending on how strong the field is and how long you remain in the field," she then saw how uncomfortable Mal looked, "but we're shielded from the field in this vehicle, so no worries, Lady Mal. If you'll excuse me, I need to coordinate the sting." She then slipped on a pair of headphones.

"Wish I had your level of confidence," said Mal. She sighed, "talk to me, Ben, so I don't have to think about anti-magic. What did you and Count von Karstein talked about?"

"Oh, that?" asked Ben, "it's nothing important, you wouldn't want to know anyway."

"On the contrary, I do want to know," said Mal, "you stirred my curiosity, so spill it, Ben."

Ben sighed with uncomfortable annoyance, "it's really not something you should know, Mal, and I was planning on turning down von Karstein's offer anyway when we see him at the victory celebration tonight."

"Turn down what?" asked Mal, "tell me, Ben!" she then began bouncing on her heels and rocking the van a bit, "Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"

"Okay! I'll tell!" said Ben, "Count von Karstein, he's looking to arrange marriages for his sons."

"Arrange marriages?" asked Mal.

"For his younger sons," said Ben, "for Karl, Wilhelm, Fredrich and Gustav." He then looked at Mal with grim seriousness, "and he's picked you as a potential candidate."

"What?" asked Mal, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Heinrich von Karstein wants you to marry one of his sons!" said Ben in an outraged tone, "and he's also considering Audrey, Jane and Evie too."

It took a few heartbeats for Mal to process this information, before she burst out in hysterical laughter.

"Uh…did I miss a joke?" asked Detective Walters.

"It's noting, go back to work," said Ben.

"Oh, it's a joke alright!" giggled Mal, "can you imagine it? Me? Marry one of those musclebound misfits?!" she then laughed harder, "And…and then imagine Evie and Jane marrying one of them? And…and Audrey too!"

It didn't take long for Ben to laugh along with Mal. Finally, after about a minute of solid laughter, they calmed down.

"Okay, okay, seriously," said Mal as she and Ben fought to control their breathing, "he wasn't really serious about me marrying one of his sons, right?"

"He seemed serious," said Ben, "but who knows? Transdoria has been an isolated country long before the founding of Auradon. We know very little about their culture and customs. For all we know, arranging marriages between nations is their way of establishing diplomatic relations."

"Well, I'm afraid I'm spoken for," said Mal as she put her arm around Ben's shoulders, "no way I'm getting married to anyone any time soon anyway, same for Evie, Jane and Audrey."

Just then a beeping sound could be heard.

"2:59 PM!" said Detective Walters, "almost showtime!"

"Now, are you sure your anti-magic thingies are safe?" asked Mal.

"We're perfectly save in here, Lady Mal," said Detective Walters, "the anti-magic fields should have no ill effect on anyone, save depriving them of magic. Thirty seconds."

"I just had a thought," said Ben, "what if they're not using magic? What if it's some unknown technology that makes them go really, really fast?"

"We're positive it's magic, your majesty," said Detective Walters, "fifteen seconds!"

"Here they come!" shouted one of the police officers over the radio.

"Ten seconds," said Detective Walters, "five…four…three…two…"

Three unbelievably fast objects streaked three the area and into the warehouse.

"It didn't stop them!" said Detective Walters, "they aren't using magic!"

"I hope you've got a plan B," said Ben, "or…Mal! Wait!"

Mal had unlocked the van and jumped out. She ran towards the warehouse when she gasped in shock and fell to her knees.

"MAL!" shouted Ben as he ran to her, "are…are you…"

"I…I don't know…" said Mal in a distant tone, "I…I feel…numb…my magic, I can't feel it."

"Turn it off!" shouted Ben to Detective Walters, "turn the anti-magic field off!"

"We were so sure," said Detective Walters, "we were so sure the perps used magic."

"Turn it off!" bellowed Ben, "can't you see it's hurting Mal!? TURN IT OFF!"

"I…uh…yes, your majesty!" said Detective Walters, "at once!"

"It'll be off soon, Mal," said Ben, "just hold on."

"I don't think I can!" said Mal in a pained tone, "I…I think I'm gonna be sick!"

It was then that the three fast objects exited the warehouse and streaked away. But then one of the objects returned and stopped in front of Ben and Mal, and as it turned out, the object was very familiar to Ben and Mal.

"Uma!" exclaimed Ben as the daughter of Ursula, a backpack stuffed full of pilfered merchandise on her shoulder, glared at him and Mal.

"Well, well, well," said Uma smugly, "if it isn't the king and queen of the cotillion in person. How's it going since we last saw each other under, shall we say, unfavorable conditions?"

"What's so unfavorable about my kicking your butt?" asked a still discomforted Mal, "last I remember, I was gonna cook and eat you for dinner."

"Just because you fly and breathe fire," said Uma, "doesn't mean I wasn't winning. If Ben hadn't jumped into the water and made such an impassioned speech, I would have dragged you under and drowned you."

"In your dreams, Shrimpy!" snapped Mal as she tried to get up but lost her balance.

"Oh, what's the matter, Mal?" asked Uma, "land sickness or something?"

"She's just not feeling well, that's all," said Ben. He then looked back to the van, "Walters! Why haven't you turned off the anti-magic field?!"

"It is off!" said Detective Walters as she stepped out of the van, "I did warn you and Lad Mal about its effect, through."

"You didn't say anything about her feeling sick!" snapped Ben.

"Awww, the little dragon girl can't use her magic," said Uma in a mocking manner, "how pathetic."

"You're one to talk since you've got your mom's necklace working again," said Mal.

"I took my necklace off before the job," said Uma, "we were warned the cops would use something to stop us. Oh, I shouldn't be saying anything to you guys, don't want to spoil the game. What, no sword, Ben? Or have you gotten used to relying on others doing all the dirty work?"

"You don't seem to have a sword either, Uma," said Ben.

"It tripped me up when I was running," said Uma, whom then pulled out a ball and cap revolver, "so I upgraded," she then cocked the hammer and aimed the pistol at Ben, then at Mal, "now, which of you gets it first?"

"FREEZE, DIRTBAG!"

Uma then saw over a dozen police officers aiming their weapons at her.

"Drop the gun! Now!" shouted Commissioner Addlerson as he aimed his own service pistol at Uma, "drop it and keep your hands in the air! You are under arrest!"

"Seriously?" asked Uma, "well, if you are, then so am I!"

Snapping the fingers on her free hand, Uma accelerated and, within a blink of an eye, disarmed all the police officers. She then knocked them all unconscious, all within the space of a second.

"If that's the best defense Auradon has to offer," said Uma, "then this whole kingdom will be mine before you know it."

"How are you doing this, Uma?" asked Ben.

"Trade secret," said Uma, "now where were we? Oh right!" She aimed her revolver at Ben and Mal, "who gets it first?"

Just then another fast object dashed into the area. It stopped next to Uma, revealing itself to be Gil son of Gaston.

"Uma! What's wrong?" asked Gil, "we're almost out of time and we need to get the stuff to the place where we're meeting the girl before the stuff she gave us wears off and…" he then saw Ben and Mal, "oh, it's you guys! How's it been?"

"We've been better," said Mal as she got back up, "where's the other stooge? The one who smells worse than Uma does?"

"I heard that!" shouted Harry Hook as he walked towards his comrades in piracy, "and for your information, I've discovered the wonders of daily hygiene." He then saw Mal's disheveled state, "you should try it." He then laughed at his own joke, at which Gil soon joined in.

"Stow it, you two!" Uma ordered, "why waste your breaths on dead teenagers?"

"Wait, you're gonna waste them?" asked Gil.

"No, I'm gonna buy them each a puppy and a kitten!" said Uma in an annoyed tone, "of course I'm gonna waste them!"

"But you can't!" said Gil, "you promised you wouldn't do anything like this!"

"I hate to admit it, but Gil's right for once," said Harry, "we made a pact with 'you know who.'"

"What pact?" asked Mal, "with who? Uma, what have you gotten yourself into?"

"Nothing I can't handle," said Uma, "and I'm not breaking the pact. I'm just rubbing out a par of do-gooders who tried to stop us from finishing the job."

"Uma, please!" said Ben, "don't do this! Whatever wrongs you've committed before, if you kill in cold blood now, then…"

"My blood's already cold, Ben," said Uma, "I think I'll take you out first and let Mal watch you bleed."

But then a high-pitched shrill could be heard coming from Uma and she cried out in pain, clutching at her left ear and dropping her pistol.

"Uma! Are…are you?" asked a worried Gil.

"Shut up!" snapped Uma, "I'm alright…" she then paused and looked away, as if hearing a voice no one else could, "yes…yes…I understand, we'll be there immediately."

"I told you so," said Harry as Uma picked up her pistol, "'she's' watching us and won't stand for any malarkey."

"Keep it up, Harry," said Uma as she straightened her backpack, "and there'll be one less partner to share the booty with!" she then glared at Ben and Mal, "you're lucky I have to be somewhere with this stuff. I promise you this; next time you won't be so lucky." She looked at Gil and Harry, "let's go!" with that she accelerated and shot out of the area. Harry gave Ben and Mal a contemptuously smug look before zooming after Uma.

"Say hi to your mom and dad for me!" said Gil, "tell them my dad says hi and all!"

Harry then ran back in and grabbed Gil by the arm, "come on, stupid!" he snapped and they both ran out.

"Oh, my head," said Commissioner Addlerson, "and my pride. Oh! Your majesty and Lady Mal! Are you alright!"

"I'm fine," said Ben. He looked at Mal, "Are you?"

"I'm much better," said Mal, "the anti-magic whammy's wearing off, I can feel my magic coming back."

"I'm sorry you were affected so badly, Lady Mal," said Detective Walters, "I should have taken your power level into account," she then looked around at the injured policemen, "but this is beyond anything I could have anticipated. What the hell just happened?"

"I don't know," said Ben. "Uma and her crew must have teamed up with a really nasty character, but who? And how were they able to move so fast? And why are they stealing these things?"

"You forgot one question," said Mal, "how did Gil and Harry get off The Isle of The Lost?"

 _…to be continued_


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Uma, Harry and Gil dashed undetected through the Enchanted Forest and up the slopes of Bald Mountain. Their destination was a cave below the former lair of Chernobog. The three pirate villains screeched to a dusty halt inside the cave, each breathing heavily from their exertions.

"And…I'm… spent," said an exhausted Harry as he, Uma and Gil handed their backpacks full of pilfered electronics to their subordinate pirates from The Isle.

"So…thirsty…" said Gil as he staggered over to a table. He filled a tankard with nonalcoholic grog and downed it in several deep gulps, then filled his tankard with more.

"Save some for the rest of us!" snapped Harry as he shoved Gil aside and filled a tankard of his own.

"There's plenty for all of us," said Uma as she slumped into a nearby chair, her hand outstretched and waiting for one of her crew to hand her a tankard. "I have to tell you, mates, the stuff Adriane gives us, the Jet or whatever she called it, really takes it out of you."

"It's worth it," said Harry as he looked to where the crew was sorting through the stolen merchandise, "those flatfoot fools never stood a chance of stopping us," he then glared at Uma, "which reminds me, why did you go back in the first place?"

"I saw a chance to tie up some lose ends, that's all," said Uma, "and don't look at me like that, you want to destroy Ben and Mal just as much as I do."

"Yes, but not when we're not supposed to," said Harry, "we have an understanding with Adriane."

"Well, Adriane can kiss my aquatic butt for all I care," said Uma irately as she pulled an earpiece from her ear, "I ought to…"

"You ought to what, Ms. Uma?" asked a short and thin woman with pitch black hair and piercing blue eyes, wearing a black power suit giving off an aura of annoyed malice, "you wish to alter the terms of our bargain?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do," said Uma as she stood up on slightly unsteady feet, "I had a golden opportunity to finish off the two people I hate the most in the world and you took it away from me."

"With good reason," said the woman, Adriane as she walked towards Uma, "you violated the terms of our agreement, Ms. Uma, not only by your attempted assassination, but also your sheer carelessness. You exposed yourself to the authorities."

"So what?" asked Uma, "it's not like they've got anything that can stop me and my crew once we're running on Jet. And thanks to Fairy Godmother and her non-magic rules, not even Mal will use magic against us. In fact, those idiots back at the warehouse and their anti-magic trap, it gave me an idea for the next time I _run_ into Mal," she then laughed at her own pun.

"There won't be a next time," said Adriane coldly, "not if you forget the objective of our partnership, and do keep your communicator in your ear."

"Why?" asked Uma, "so you can hurt me with that noise again?"

"I did that to get your attention," said Adriane, "and you'd best pay attention if you still wish to be paid. Do I have to remind you of the terms of our agreement, Ms. Uma?"

"As if I could forget," said Uma, "since you constantly ram it down my ears!"

* * *

 **...The Isle of the Lost…the Night of the cotillion…**

"There she is!" shouted Gil as he, Harry and the rest of the crew stood on the shores of The Isle of The Lost, while Uma, now normal sized and slowed by her waterlogged dress, waded back onto land.

"What happened, Uma?" Harry demanded as he and the others rushed over to her, "you were supposed to get Ben to drop the barrier and let us all loose on Auradon!"

"I don't want to talk about it," said Uma as she wrung out the hem of her dress.

"But you almost did it!" shouted Harry, "we won! You had Ben in the palm of your hand!"

"I KNOW!" shouted Uma, "thanks to the spell in Mal's book, I had Ben wrapped around my finger! But then she kissed him and broke the spell."

"Well, you still could have won," said Harry, "when you turned into that giant sea monster! You could have drowned Ben and grabbed the wand with one of your tentacles!"

"Uh…Uma? Harry?" asked Gil.

"And I would have taken out all those AK losers and VK traitors," said Uma, "even with Mal turning into a dragon! I would have dragged her down to Davey Jones' locker, but then Ben…Ben…"

"Oh, I get it," said Harry, "you're in love with that landlubber loser."

"I am not!" shouted Uma, "I was just using him to get what I want, what we all want; our freedom and revenge!"

"Uh…Harry? Uma?" asked Gil.

"Oh really?" asked Harry, "well, if he meant nothing to you, why didn't you finish him off while he was helpless in the water? Or did his words actually have a profound effect on you?"

"I don't have to explain myself," said Uma menacingly, "I don't have to justify myself to you or anyone! I'm captain of this crew and I can do what I want!"

"You guys?" asked Gil.

"Well then," said Harry, "I think this crew is in dire need of a new captain. One who doesn't let his feelings get in the way of his judgment and leadership," he looked at the other teenage pirates, "isn't that right, mates?"

At that half the crew raised their cutlasses and cheered.

"Oh, so that's what this is all about," said Uma, "you want to usurp my authority, don't you? Well, we all know who the rightful captain here is, right, boyo's?"

At that the other half of the crew raised their weapons and cheered in support of Uma.

"You guys?" Gil asked in a more urgent tone.

"So it's a fight then, is it?" asked Harry as the crew split apart and stood behind their respective figureheads, "a duel to decide the fate of this crew. But you're back on the Isle, Uma, so you can't use any of your new magic tricks." He then licked the edge of his cutlass, then licked the point of his hook.

"Fine with me," said Uma as one of her supporters handed her a cutlass, "I don't need magic to clean your sorry clock."

"In your dreams, Shrimpy!" said Harry.

"You Guys!" Gil shouted as loud as he could.

"WHAT?!" both Harry and Uma shouted.

"I have a stupid question, that's all," said Gil.

"What else is new?" asked Harry.

"Make it quick, Gil," said Uma, "I've a mutiny to crush!" at that her half of the crew shouted in agreement.

"Again, in your dreams," said Harry, at which his half of the crew shouted in agreement.

"I just wanted to know how Uma got back on the island, that's all," said Gil.

As if a switch flipped, the tension between the feuding halves of the crew deflated like a balloon.

"That's…actually a good question," said Harry as he and the others lowered their weapons, "well? How'd you do it, Uma?"

"I…don't know," said Uma, "it was like the barrier wasn't even there as I swam back to the island."

"That's no answer!" snapped Harry as he raised his cutlass again, "somehow you got through the barrier when no one else has been able to in over sixteen years!"

"Actually, someone else did," said Gil, "Maleficent got out during Ben's coronation last year, when…"

"We know how Maleficent escaped!" snapped Harry, "I want to know how Uma got back inside! So how did you do it, Uma? Did you use a spell or something?"

"No I didn't!" said Uma, "at least I don't think I did. All I remember thinking about was how it's not over between me and Ben and the rest of the Auradon idiots! I didn't cast any spells."

"I don't believe you!" shouted Harry, "you should have bounced off the barrier, but you didn't, and I want to know how you did it!"

"I told you I don't know how!" shouted Uma as she raised her cutlass, "what, you gonna make me tell you what I don't know? Just you try it, Harry Hook! See where it gets you!"

"Gladly!" said Harry.

"Oh, dearie me," said Adriane as she stood next to Gil, "this is no way for a crew of salty sea dogs to behave. Whatever happened to professional curtsey?"

"Lady, if you knew anything about pirates," said Uma, "this is exactly how we behave in this kind of situation!" she then blinked and looked at Adriane, "wait, who the heck are you?"

"Oh, forgive me," said Adriane, "I should have made a more formal introduction, but I was so entranced by the drama between you and your friend."

"WE'RE NOT FRIENDS!" shouted both Uma and Harry.

"Well, excuse me," said a slightly taken aback Adriane, "honestly, you think having grown up together in such close quarters would have developed into a deeper sense of cooperation. It's clear I'm wasting my time on you lot. A shame, for what I have to offer would have made you all very, very rich. Farewell!" she then turned to walk away.

"Wait! Stop!" shouted Uma as she and Harry lowered their weapons, "what's that about us being rich? And what is your name anyway?"

"Where I'm from," said Adriane, "it's rude to demand another's name without giving yours first. Under the circumstances, I afford to break with protocol. My name is Marlena Katharina Sophitia van Garrett, though I prefer the pseudonym Adriane."

At that Uma, Harry and Gil introduced themselves and their crew.

"Okay, then, Adriane," said Uma, "since we're all on a first name basis, mind explaining yourself? What do you want from us?"

"And how will it make us all rich?" asked Harry eagerly.

"First thing's first, though," said Adriane, "I believe young Ms. Uma owes me her thanks, for it was I who allowed her to return to The Isle of The Lost."

"You opened the barrier for me?" asked Uma, "well, thanks," she then grinned viciously, "now you're gonna tell me how you did it, if you value your life! Get her, boys!"

At that Harry and Gil tried to grab Adriane, but she laughed as both boys passed right through her.

"Do you honestly take me for a fool?" asked Adriane, "that I would come to the one place in Auradon completely populated by the worst of the worst? No, I wouldn't, not in person that is."

"Then what are you?" asked Harry as he swiped his hook through Adriane.

"Are you a ghost?" asked a frightful Gil, "you're a ghost aren't you! SHE'S A GHOST!" he then ran away screaming for dear life.

"Oh my god," said a high embarrassed Uma as she face-palmed, "somebody go after him."

"I can assure you all that I am very much alive," said Adriane, "just not physically here, unless I concentrate hard enough." She then placed her hand on Uma's shoulder, whom gasped in shock as she realized Adriane was very much solid.

"Astral projection," said Adriane, "enhanced with the right technology. I can project myself pretty much anywhere in the world I wish, while another piece of technology can create small openings in the barrier around the island, small enough for my mental abilities to pass through, or large enough for Uma's monster form to swim through. The bigger the opening, the more effort on my part, but I can open the barrier for you and your crew to pass through without too much trouble, provided we agree on my proposition."

"We're listening," said Uma, "aren't we?"

"Oh, yes, we are," said Harry as he and the rest of the crew, including a much calmer Gil, nodded in agreement.

"Very well then," said Adriane, "let's talk turkey as they say. I represent a group of men and women who, while possessing vast financial resources, are a little short on manpower. I and others with similar mental abilities, we've been charged with recruiting adventurous and unscrupulous individuals to assist in certain undertakings; scientific projects that most societies would consider…how shall I put it? Unkoser. In short, we need people whom aren't afraid of doing a little dirty work."

"Ma'am, dirty work is part of what being a pirate is all about," said Harry, at which most of the crew nodded in agreement.

"And depends on just what kind of dirty work you have in mind," Uma insisted, "just what kind of projects are you working on?"

"I'm afraid I can't talk about them," said Adriane, "but I can say that the results of those projects will make quite a few individuals obscenely rich and powerful, and you all can be part of that wealth and prosperity."

"Wealth and power, tempting," said Uma, "very tempting. What's the job?"

"My employers are in need of certain items found only in Auradon," said Adriane, "specifically, pharmaceutical chemicals and specialized computer hardware, all of which would be much more expensive to purchase openly from Auradon, and rather suspicious in the quantities my employers desire."

"You want us to smuggle stuff out of Auradon?" asked Harry, "pardon me, but that seems a bit beneath someone of your level of abilities."

"Yeah, why can't you steal the stuff yourself?" asked Gil.

"There's a limit to my power," said Adriane, "I can project my physical form and interact with solid matter, but I can't take anything with me back to where my body is. And before you ask about using thugs in my organization, again, we're a little short on manpower, especially those willing to risk their lives on such a potentially dangerous enterprise."

"In short, you need expendables," said Uma.

"That's one way of putting it," said Adriane, "but the rewards far outweigh the risks, especially when you see what I have that will give you and yours an edge over the Auradon authorities or anyone else standing in your way."

"Sounds too good to be true," said Uma, "what's the catch?"

"Straight to the point then?" asked Adriane, "you don't want to banter a bit more like your mother? Very well, down and dirty it is. I know who you are, Uma daughter of Ursula. I've been watching you and your crew from afar for some time now. I know about your history with Mal daughter of Maleficent, how she humiliated you when you were children, how you were spurned when Mal and her fellows were picked to go to the mainland while you were left behind. And recently and especially tonight, I know of your new feelings for the young monarch of Auradon and how he rejected you, then offered you friendship when you wanted him all to yourself."

She then stepped closer, "the catch, Ms. Uma, is I want you to, temporarily; forget about Ben, Mal and everyone else you hate. I want you to focus entirely on completing the tasks I entrust to you and your crew. What you do once my employers are satisfied and all transactions completed is your business and your business alone, but for as long as we're working together, you will suspend your vendetta."

Adriane then addressed Harry, Gil and the other teenage pirates, "that goes for all of you! Whatever vendettas you have against Mal and her fellow reformed VK's and AK allies, cast them aside. You will enact no revenge plots, no retribution schemes, no intrigues of payback, nothing! You will focus on acquiring the items needed. Once you do that, you will all be free to wreck vicious acts of vengeance to your twisted heart's desire, and walk away with very full pockets to boot."

"How full are we talking about?" Harry asked, "because some of us have rather deep pockets to fill."

"My employers know just how good greed is," said Adriane. She beckoned Harry to step closer and she whispered something into his ear.

"Wow!" said an impressed Harry as he stepped back.

" _That_ much huh?" asked Uma.

"How much is 'wow?'" Gil asked.

"There'll be enough for all of you to retire and live like kings of your own kingdoms," said Adriane, "provided you agree to my terms."

"How much is 'wow?'" Gil asked.

"But this is a one-time offer, Ms. Uma," said Adriane, "there's a limit to how long I can project myself through the barrier. If I am to enlarge the opening for you and your crew to escape, it has to be now."

"Either we go with you and accept whatever unknown consequences," said Uma, "or we stay and hope something else comes along."

"Take the bloomin' deal already!" exclaimed Harry, "if you won't then I will!"

"I'm still the captain of this crew, Harry Hook!" snapped Uma, "and I want to know where everyone stands," she then drew a line in the sand with her cutlass, "everyone who wants to come with me on this strange and profitable venture, cross this line now."

"How much is 'wow?'" Gil asked as he, Harry and the rest of the crew joined Uma on the other side of the line.

"We'll take your deal, Adriane," said Uma as she shook hands with the astral form.

"Splendid," said an eagerly smiling Adriane, "you won't regret it. Transportaion off the island will be made available soon, so I hope you have everything you need to leave." With that she vanished.

Almost instantly there was a flash offshore as a large opening appeared in the barrier, through which sailed a hovercraft big enough for the crew.

"You could at least let me change out of this soaked cargo net of a dress," said Uma as the hovercraft landed on the beach.

"Aren't you gonna say goodbye to your mother?" asked Harry as he and the others boarded the hovercraft.

"I've nothing to say to my mom," said Uma, "you got anything to say to your dad? And what about Harriet? And C.J.?"

"Harriet's doing her own thing," said Harry, "and I'm sure we'll run into C.J. when we're on the mainland. As for my father, what has been said is enough between us. Let's go already."

"How much is 'wow?!'" Gil insisted as the hovercraft reversed and cruised through the barrier.

* * *

 **…Bald Mountain...Present Day…**

"You still haven't told me how much 'wow' is," said Gil.

"Shut up, Gil!" snapped Uma as she glared at Adriane, whom calmly looked back.

"You'll find out exactly how much 'wow' is when all is said and done," said Adriane, "but not if your captain keeps acting so recklessly." She walked up to Uma, "far too much is at stake in this operation, and I refuse to allow you to gamble away its success, just so you can satisfy a grudge."

"By beef with Mal and Ben is way more than a grudge!" said Uma defiantly, "you should know since you know so much about me."

"I know you ought to be smart enough not to let your personal feelings get in the way!" said Adriane, "don't you see? That's how your mother failed," she then looked at Harry, Gil and the other teenage pirates, "that's how all the famous Villains were defeated. They allowed their emotions to cloud their judgment and lose focus of their true objectives. Wanting an enemy out of the way is one thing, letting a vendetta grow to the point of irrational obsession leads to one's downfall. Take example from the failures of your predecessors, for you are doomed to repeat their mistakes if you do not learn from them.

"Had the Evil Queen simply dosed the apple with cyanide or ricin or puffer fish venom then Snow White would have dropped dead and that would be that. Had Lady Tremaine simply eliminated Cinderella instead of locking her in the tower, then she wouldn't have escaped and proved that her foot matched the glass slippers."

"Oh, but you've miscalculated," said Harry, "even if Lady Tremaine 'took care' of Cinderella, her daughters would never have fitted their oversized feet into that shoe. They'd never have gotten Prince Charming."

"True," said Adriane, "but their situation wouldn't have taken a turn for the worse. As for your family history, Harry Hook, your father's obsession with Peter Pan drove him to more and more irrational plans of vengeance."

"Pan cut off my father's hand and fed it to The Crocodile!" snapped Harry as he irately waved bout his hook, "you'd do the same if your enemy cut off your hand and fed it to a monster who liked the taste so much, it kept coming after you."

"Well, then," said Adriane, "if I were captain of The Jolly Rodger, I'd use the ship's cannons to bombard the islands of Neverland, flush out Peter Pan and The Lost Boys, then blasted them out of the sky with grapeshot and blunderbuss pellets."

At that Gil laughed.

"You think this is funny, do you?" asked an annoyed Adriane, "your father's one of the worst of the worst! He was too dumb to realize that when a dame says 'no' she means 'NO!'"

She then stomped up to Gil, whom tried to back away in terror, "if I ever find out you've mistreated a girl, that you touched her without her permission, that you even think about forcing yourself on her, I'll find you, skin you alive and sew it back on inside out!"

"Whoa," said an impressed yet concerned Uma.

"Sorry," said a much calmer Adriane, "I just don't like it when men mistreat women. Good or evil, both sexes ought to be equal. Where was I? Oh yes, obsessions. Instead of going through a convoluted plot that forced Ariel to default on her contract, Ursula should have held Ariel hostage and forced Triton to surrender his power. Instead, Ursula's obsession of humiliating Triton lead to her downfall.

"Hades and his desire for revenge against Zeus and the other Olympians; instead of simply killing Herculese when he rendered him powerless, Hades sat back and hoped that monster would finish the job.

"And let' snot forget Maleficent; had she simply killed Phillip when she had the chance instead of satisfying her ego by locking him up for a hundred years, she wouldn't have been defeated and Aurora would still be asleep."

"What's your point?" asked Uma.

"My point is this, Ms. Uma," said Adriane, "your worst enemies aren't Ben and Mal, it's your own pride and ambition. Yes, no one gets anywhere in life without some ambition, but too much and you end up grabbing for more than you can carry. As for pride, it always comes before a fall. Think about it." She then handed Uma the earpiece, "and keep this on you, please, it's far easier for me to simply talk than appear in person, so to speak."

"So…what next?" asked Uma as she put the earpiece back in her ear.

"Next, you follow the plan as always," said Adriane, "have the merchandise ready for transport and await instructions for the next job. Of course, we'll have to move up our timetable after your little indiscretion today, but it can be managed. Just one more job, one more shipment of pharmaceuticals, and we can move on to the next phase of the operation."

"Does that mean we won't be robbing Auradon stuff anymore?" asked Gil.

"And did we steal enough for your needs?" asked Harry, "just what are you doing with all these gizmos and drugs anyway?"

"We're making a better world for people like us," said Adriane, "a world where good does not triumph over evil, but we're still a long ways off. This last job, however, will go a ways to making our goal just a bit closer, but any gain is worth it."

"In that case," said Uma, "we're gonna need more of that Jet stuff. The Auradon cops, they'll be watching for us next time, so we're gonna have to move faster."

"You'll get the same amount as you have before!" Adriane insisted, "remember, while this formulae of Jet is different than the original cognitive and energy booster from another world, it's still addictive. Remember; 'the Jet will make you jittery.' I'll be in touch with details on the next, and hopefully, last job." With that she vanished.

"Insufferable bitch," said Uma irately, "she really thinks I can't handle the Jet. 'The Jet will make you jittery,' oh please! I know what I'm doing!"

"Like you know what you were doing when you almost ruined things today?" asked Harry.

"Shut up!" snapped Uma as she sat down in her chair.

It was then that several package drones flew into the cave. Gil and the other teenage pirates then loaded the stolen electronics into carrying bags, which the drones picked up and flew out.

"Are you sure those things are okay?" asked Gil, "I mean, what if someone sees them and then they find us?"

"For the last time, Gil!" said an annoyed Uma, "Adriane said the drones are made with stealth tech that makes them all but invisible."

"Which reminds me," said Harry as he sat down and began polishing his hook, "if Adriane has all this technology and her own powers, why is she bothering with the likes of us? I'm just not buying her story of not having enough of her own minions to boss around."

"We'll ask the next time she shows up," said Uma, "I'm getting a little tired of being kept in the dark about this operation of hers. And I promise you all this, as soon as we're done with whatever this operation Adriane is so hopped up on, Ben, Mal and all of Auradon are next!"

* * *

 **…Auradon Prep…**

At that Mal sneezed loudly, startling everyone in the empty classroom Dizzy had set up as her hair salon.

"Bless you, Mal," said Jane, "are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Mal, "now where was I? Oh right, Uma and her crew, they're running lose somewhere in Auradon and they're stealing drugs and electric stuff for some reason."

"Am I the only one who's panicking!?" asked Audrey as Dizzy worked on her hair, "Chad told me what you told him about how horrid Uma was at the cotillion. And then there's her gang of rapscallions, aren't you all worried that they'll try to murder us in our sleep?"

"The only thing that'll get murdered is your hair if you don't hold still," said Dizzy, "now sit on it and let me work."

"Of course we're worried, Audrey," said Lonnie, "but panicking won't help either."

"I'm actually more confused than worried," said Evie, "why would Uma, Harry and Gil stoop to petty robberies?"

"Ben and I think they're working with someone," said Mal, "Uma was talking with somebody through an earpiece, someone who doesn't want her and the others going after us."

"As if anyone but Uma could tell Uma what to do," said Evie, "oh, Mal, she tried to kill you and Ben!"

"And she almost did," said Mal, "my life flashed before my eyes when Uma pointed that pistol at me and Ben. Believe me, there's a lot of memories I wish I could forget. I was just plain lucky this time, that's all." She then sighed.

"Are you sure you're alright, Mal?" asked Jane.

"You certainly weren't fine for a while," said a worried Evie, "what if that anti-magic thingy left permanent damage? What if you can never use magic again?"

"Just calm down, Evie, she's fine," said Audrey as Dizzy worked on her hair, "I mean, the doctors said she was fine, right?"

"They did say I'm fine," said Mal, "they ran some tests to make sure everything is fine, but I don't feel all that fine, not in here," she tapped her heart, "I mean, I am getting along without using magic and I think I've done a pretty good job of it, right?"

"Oh yeah," said Lonnie, "and we're all there for you in case you need support."

"You can count on us," said Evie.

"Thanks, guys," said Mal, "but…when I got hit by the anti-magic field and couldn't feel my powers anymore…I…I don't know how to describe it, except it was the worst I've ever felt in my life." She then shuddered at a highly discomforting thought, "just the idea of permanently losing my magic makes my skin crawl."

"Me too," said a slightly uncomfortable Jane, "I mean, I know we're not supposed to use magic, but just knowing that it's there, and then the thought of losing it forever, what could be worse for people like us? I mean, Mal and I and other magic users, we're born this way. We have this amazing gift and we're not allowed to use it."

"You're actually disagreeing with your mother?" an amazed Audrey asked, "when did you grow a backbone?"

"Fairly recently apparently," said an equally amazed Jane, "but don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should use magic for trivial things like picking outfits or cooking. I'm talking about saving lives and helping people under extraordinary circumstances."

"Here here," said Mal, "if we magic users can use or powers in positive, helpful ways, like…I don't know…stopping Uma and her gang of goons from humiliating the police, then why not?"

At that Jane sighed, "because my mother and the other adults in charge of Auradon would say that we're perfectly capable of solving those same issues without magic." She sighed again and slumped in her chair, "you know, sometimes I don't get my mother."

"Tell me about it," said Dizzy as she finished working on Audrey's hair, "my mom and Aunt, they're some of the meanest, selfish people on The Isle, and don't get me started on how horrid Step-Granny is. And then there's me; I like helping people, I like doing things for myself, especially when it comes to hair. Speaking of which, Mal's next! And just you wait until you see what I've got in store for you!"

"It's just a post-tournament party, Dizzy," said Mal as she sat in the spinning chair, "I don't need a formal hair explosion."

"Oh, but I was saving my latest idea for you," pouted Dizzy, "and I just know you'll love it."

"Well, if it'll make you happy, knock yourself out," said Mal, "just don't go completely overboard."

Dizzy let out a squee of delight and skipped over to a nearby cabinet where she kept her styling tools.

"No garden sheers this time?" Mal asked.

"For what I have in mind requires a more delicate touch," said Dizzy as she rummaged through the cabinet, "now where'd I put that thing? I know I had it earlier when I was setting up shop."

"Well, at least one good thing happened today," said Mal, "before things went sideways at the warehouse, Ben told me something really funny." She let out a short giggle, "it's not really funny, more stupid than funny."

"Oh, do tell," said Lonnie, "do tell."

"Okay, but you guys aren't ready for this," said Mal, "while you were getting your medal, Lonnie, Ben talked with Heinrich von Karstein for a minute. He, Heinrich, wants me, Audrey, Evie and Jane to marry his sons."

It took a few seconds for Evie and the others to take Mal's words in before they started laughing, which Mal soon joined in on.

"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Audrey between chortles, "me and one of those bulbous bulls?" at that she laughed even harder.

"And imagine our kids would look like!" guffawed Evie, "they'd be all huge and bulgy like their dad's with really weird hair! Mine would have green hair! Yeah, because his dad is blond and I've got blue hair, so what do you get when you mix blond with blue? Green!" that made Mal and the others laugh even harder, but one person in the salon wasn't laughing.

"I don't think that's funny," said Doug, whom had been sitting nearby reading a magazine, "I don't think it's funny at all."

"Come on, Doug, it's pretty funny," said Evie as she and the other girls calmed down.

"No, it isn't," said Doug as he stood up and walked over, "this is very serious. Count von Karstein, he wants to take you girls away from us."

"OMG, he's right," said Audrey, "everyone, there could be an arranged marriage in the works."

"You can't be serious," said Mal, "no way am I marrying one of those oversized galoots! Ben would never agree to anything like it. And he certainly wouldn't agree to Evie or anyone else."

"Of course he wouldn't want to," said Doug, "but you have to remember that he's the king of Auradon, and one of the downsides to being king is sometimes you have to make decisions that you disagree with personally, not if it's for the good of the kingdom."

"You mean…he'd sell one of us out to those bullish blonde brats?" asked Evie.

"Not me, he wouldn't!" said an outraged Lonnie.

"If it means establishing better ties with another nation, he would," said Doug, "not you girls, of course. Ben would eat his own crown before he sold out one of his friends, but he'll probably spend the next few days negotiating with Count von Karstein. But I'm sure none of you girls have anything to worry about."

"I hope not," said Jane, "now that I'm finally dating someone, I don't want to give it up and spend the rest of my life with someone I barely know, whom I don't even like."

"Arranged marriages happen all the time," said Audrey, "but yeah, I'd rather eat something really gross than marry one of the von Karstein boys."

"No argument here," said Lonnie, "but we've got nothing to worry about, since we're all in stable relationships with really cute boys."

"Not me!" said a worried Dizzy, "what if they want me to marry one of those gargantuan goons? I'm too young to get married! And too short, I'll be crushed on my wedding night!"

"You're not getting married until you're ready, Dizzy," said Mal in a reassuring manner, "hopefully not until you meet the right boy. And we're all gonna be fine. Like Lonnie said, we've all got really cute boys to keep us safe."

"Uh…well…" said a slightly nervous and uncomfortable Audrey.

"Oh, don't tell me," said Mal, "you and Chad broke up again?"

"He was such a jerk during the tournament," said Audrey, "I told him to apologize for what he said, especially what he said to Lonnie, but he refused, so I said we needed to see other people for a while."

"This could be problematic," said Doug, "because if you and Chad aren't together, then Count von Karstein will take it that you're available, for marriage that is. I'd find a temporary boyfriend real quick if I were you."

At that Audrey looked ready to panic. "Mal, can I borrow Ben for a while?"

"What? No!" said Mal, "no you can't borrow Ben!"

"It's just for a few days until the von Karsteins go back home," said Audrey, "so I don't appear single."

"No way!" said Mal, "if Ben's with you then I look single."

"Oh, right," said Audrey. "Lonnie! Can I borrow Jay? Please!? I'll owe you a huge favor and be grateful for the rest of my life!"

"Then I look single!" said Lonnie, "oh my gosh! I gotta find Jay and warn him! By the time news of this gets around, every single girl at Auradon Prep is gonna want to borrow him."

"How do you know it'll get around school?" asked Jane.

"Hello? This is high school!" said Lonnie, "nothing stays secret around her for long!" with that she hurried out of the room.

"Well, then, that's that," said Audrey. She then looked at Evie and Jane.

"Uh-uh, no way, Audrey!" said Jane.

"It'll never work anyway," said Mal, "the von Karsteins, they've already seen us with our respective boys, but they want us anyway. Therefore, it's either find a single boy before the party tonight or fend the von Karsteins off yourself.

"And single boys will be at a premium before too long," said Evie, "but there's a third option, but…"

"But what?" asked Audrey desperately.

"You could get back together with Chad," said Evie.

"NEVER!" shouted Audrey, "not until he apologizes! And before you ask, _I_ won't apologize, not for his stupidity!"

"You know, this is one of those extraordinary circumstances where magic should be allowed," said Dizzy.

"That's it!" said Audrey, "you're a genius, Dizzy!" she then hugged the step-niece of Cinderella, before rushing over to Mal and grasping her hands, "Mal! Use your magic to make Chad apologize!"

"I can't do that," said Mal, "I won't use my magic to interfere with someone's free will."

"You would have before," said Audrey, "didn't you use a love spell to steal Ben from me in the first place?"

"I've moved on from that kind of stuff," said Mal, "and that love spell would have backfired on me eventually, and in a rather ironic manner to boot."

"What about a memory potion?" asked Jane, "he could forget you two had an argument, and even forget how badly he behaved at the tournament."

"That could work," said Mal thoughtfully, "my mom had a recipe for temporary amnesia in her book, but I don't remember it and I really don't want go get the book out of the museum."

"Well…you…may not have to," said an embarrassed and blushing Evie.

"What are you hiding, Evie?" Mal asked suspiciously.

"Well…I…kinda copied a spell or two out of your book when you weren't looking," said Evie as she held up her phone, "for emergencies only of course." She then saw the looks everyone was giving her, "What? Mal used her magic behind Ben's back, so why couldn't I be a bit naughty? And I haven't used any of the spells or potions."

"This definitely counts as an emergency," said an impatient Audrey, "so make with the magic already!"

"Okay, okay!" said Evie as she searched through her phone, "I just need to find it."

"Just how many spells did you copy down?" Mal asked as Evie swiped through page after page on her phone while Audrey and the others gathered around.

"Just a few," said Evie, "I copied from random pages whenever you put the book down in our dorm room and weren't looking, so they're out of order. I should organize them at some point."

"Wait, what's that one?" asked Jane, "go back some!"

"It's nothing really," said Evie, "just a spell at the back of Mal's book, and I don't think it's a real spell. More like a joke Maleficent wrote down for a laugh."

"I still want to see it, please," said Jane. Evie indulged her and swiped back to the page in question. A few seconds of reading later and Jane burst out in uncontrollable laughter.

"What?" asked Doug, "what's so funny?"

"You're right, Evie," said Jane as she calmed down, "Mal's mom must have wrote it down as a joke, there's no way that's a real spell."

"My mom didn't treat magic as a joke," said Mal, "whatever her evil flaws, she was always serious when it came to her powers. Let me see it."

"Sorry, I already deleted it," said Evie.

"Well that's just great," said Mal, "now I want to steal my book back from the museum, if only to look up that spell."

"I'm telling you, Mal, it was just a joke spell," said Evie, "nothing worth worrying about. Oh, I found the memory potion! And it's real easy to make…yes… 'for temporary amnesia, good for one day's worth of memory suppression.'"

"So I can make him forget everything he said and did today," said Audrey, "and blame it on his airy disposition, perfect!" She then grabbed Evie by the arm and pulled her out of the room, "let's get started!"

"I'd better go with them to make sure they don't hurt themselves," said Doug as he hurried after Evie and Audrey.

"Me too," said Jane as she hurried after them.

"Just you and me now, Mal," said Dizzy as she bade Mal to sit down in the spinning chair again. "Now, if only Evie had copied down a spell to help you remember, then I could remember where I put that darn thing…oh, now I remember!" she rushed over to a large storage trunk, rummaged through it and came up with a small chainsaw.

"You want to use that!?" a shocked Mal asked as she stared wide-eyed at Dizzy, "and you call that delicate!?"

"Hey, sometimes you need to take risks in order to look fabulous," said Dizzy as she replaced her glasses with safety goggles. She then pulled the cord and started the chainsaw's motor on idle.

"Uh…maybe this isn't such a good idea," said Mal nervously. She tried to get up but found herself restrained to the chair by arm and leg clamps.

"Don't worry, I know exactly what I'm doing," said Dizzy as she walked over. She then revved up the chainsaw's motor, "now hold still so I don't cut off your ear or something."

"Oh boy!" moaned Mal.

* * *

 **…Later…**

"Why do I feel like we shouldn't have left Mal alone with Dizzy," said Jane as she and Evie worked on the memory potion in another empty classroom, while Doug kept watch and Audrey nervously paced back and forth.

"They'll be fine," said Evie, "I trust Dizzy with my hair and Mal's hair any day of the week. Okay, we're almost done."

"Good, 'cause I'm really feeling like we're breaking the rules," said Audrey nervously.

"We are breaking the rules," said Doug, "and you know what? It feels kinda exciting."

"Now you're getting it, Doug," said Evie as she gave him a playfully wicked smile, "we'll make a VK out of you yet."

"Could we hurry up here?" asked Audrey, "you all may not care about getting caught but I do! Can you imagine what my parents would say if they found out I was messing with magic? And my grandmother? It'd probably give her a cardiac arrest!"

"Lighten up, Audrey," said Evie, "it's just a temporary memory potion."

"Oh sure, you say it's temporary," said Audrey, "but what if it's not temporary? What if it permanently damages Chad's brain and turns him into a permanent airhead?" She then paused in thought, "come to think of it, it wouldn't be that much of a decline when you think about it."

"It'll be fine, Audrey," said Jane, "though we should finish up before my mom smells the potion brewing."

"Just got to pour it through a filter and we're" said Evie as she did said procedure, carefully pouring the contents of a small cauldron through a paper filter, sifting out impurities and allowing a dark orange liquid to drip into a flask.

"Is that it?" asked Audrey as Evie corked the flask.

"Just add five milliliters to whatever you want to feed Chad and he'll forget the last 24 hours," said Evie as she handed the flask to Audrey, "now if you'll excuse me, I've a party to get ready for. Come on, Doug, let's get fabulous!"

"What can I say? She knows how make the perfect look," said Doug as he followed Evie out of the room.

"So…how are you gonna do it?" asked Jane as she and Audrey looked at the flask.

"I'm not sure," said Audrey, "I think…"

"Audrey? Are you in here? I think we need to have a talk!"

"Oh crumbs!" exclaimed Audrey, "Chad's looking for me!" She looked around the classroom in a panic, before locking her gaze on a bottle of soda, "perfect!"

"Remember, five milliliters!" said Jane as Audrey grabbed a measuring spoon.

"I know! I know!" said Audrey as she measured out and poured some of the potion into the soda, just as Chad walked in.

"There you are, Audrey!" said Chad, "I was thinking…"

At that Jane gave a short snorting laugh.

"Uh…right," said Chad, "Anyway, I believe you owe me an apology, Audrey, for yelling at me so much during the tournament."

"Um…yeah, sure, whatever," said Audrey, "here, drink this!" she then handed the soda to Chad.

Chad looked at the soda in his hand for a few seconds, "Um…okay," he then drank it.

"How long until it takes affect?" asked Audrey.

"Until what takes effect?" Chad asked. His expression went blank as his eyes dilated.

"Chad? Do you remember what we were arguing about?" asked Audrey.

"Huh?" asked Chad.

"I think it worked," said Audrey in an excited tone, "yes, yes it worked!"

"Huh?" asked Chad.

"Maybe it worked too well," said Jane.

"Oh, he's fine," said Audrey, "Aren't you, Chad?"

"Huh?" asked Chad.

"Uh…you may be right, Jane," said a worried Audrey.

"Huh?" asked Chad.

* * *

 **…Later Still…**

"Oh My God, Mal!" exclaimed Evie, "your hair!"

"Yes, I know, it's very short," said Mal as she stood wearing one of Evie's latest party outfits, her hair trimmed to halfway down to her shoulders and given rainbow highlights on one side. She and her friends had gathered lobby of the largest hotel in Auradon City to celebrate the end of the tournament.

"I know, and I like it," said Evie.

"You really think it's not too short?" asked Mal, "'cause, you know, Dizzy gave be a bit of a scare when she pulled out that chainsaw for a joke."

"Yeah, I really got you there!" said a delighted Dizzy, "so seriously, what do you think of my 'Over the Rainbow' special?"

"It's…good," said Mal, "a little short, but hair grows back, so yeah, I like it." She then looked at Evie, "seriously, what do you think?"

"What do I think?" asked Evie, "I'll tell you what I think, I think it's fantastic!"

"Impressive," said Lonnie as she walked over, "very impressive. Oh look! There's Jane, Audrey and…and Chad!"

Jane walked over first, "well…the memory potion worked."

"It did?" asked Evie, "I had to leave you guys to get ready for the party, so what happened?"

"Like I said, it worked," said Jane, "I think."

"You think?" asked Mal in a concerned tone.

"It did…kinda…too well…" said Jane hesitantly, "Chad forgot the argument with Audrey, but…"

"He's even more of an airhead than before," said an impatient Audrey as she brought Chad over by the arm, "aren't you, Chad?"

"Huh?" a distracted Chad asked.

"I did the potion right, I swear!" said Jane urgently, "I followed the instructs to the letter and measured each ingredient three times before mixing it in."

"How much did you give him?" asked Evie as she snapped her fingers in front of Chad's face, producing no reaction on his part.

"Exactly five milliliters in a bottle of soda pop," said Jane.

"I gave him a soda and he drank it without question," said Audrey.

"Huh?" asked Chad.

"Well, I guess it only aggravated his condition," said Mal, "let's hope it wears off."

"I hope so," said a worried Jane, "my mom, she'll tear me to pieces if she finds out."

"Oh, he'll be fine," said Evie, "but enough about Chad, what do you guys think of Mal's hair?"

At that Jane and Audrey looked at Mal's new hairstyle.

"It's not too short, is it?" asked Mal.

"I love it," said Jane, "those colors are just amazing."

"But I must agree that it is cut a little too short," said Audrey, "I cannot see myself with hair that short. Those colors, yes, but not the length."

"'Note to self,'" said Dizzy as she left a recording on her phone, "'ask clients how short they want their hair before cutting for specials.'"

"Very impressive, Mal," said Lonnie, "now let's go impress the boys inside and…what is that music? I've never heard it before?"

"I no idea," said a puzzled Jane as she and the others listened to the music emanating from the ballroom, "maybe it's music from one of the other countries from the tournament."

"Unlikely," said a man in his early 40's with blading brown hair, brown eyes behind glasses and wearing a blue and green suit and tie beneath a tan jacket.

"Honestly," said the man as he walked over, "don't you teenagers know anything about music?"

"Of course we know about music!" said an insulted Audrey, "who do you think you're talking to?"

"A bunch of culturally inept youngsters," said the man, "what you're hearing is one of the greatest songs from when I was a kid. Seriously, didn't you kids listen to the radio when your parents were in the car? Or listen to vinyl records? What am I saying? Of course you don't even know what a vinyl record is."

"We know about vinyl," said an annoyed Mal, "look, who are you and what do you want with us?"

"If you're just gonna bother us, then get lost, mister!" said Evie.

"Yeah, scat before we call security!" said Jane.

"Whoa! Who said anything about bothering anyone!" said the man as he held out his hands innocently, "I'm just trying to enlighten you about what you've been missing."

 _ **"ANDREW!"**_

"Oh cram!" exclaimed the man in a frightened and embarrassed tone as a tall woman with long, black hair, gray eyes and wearing a red and white blouse and skirt with matching high heels and an identical tan jacket, irately walked over, "it's the wife."

"There you are!" said the woman impatiently, "I've been looking all over for you! We're supposed to meet The King to discuss business," she looked at Mal and the others with a more compassionate expression, "I do apologize for my husband, he tends to get distracted from work."

"I am not distracted!" said the man, "I was waiting for you to show up so we could talk to The King together. Oh, and Saul's taken over the DJ booth at the party, apparently."

"That son of a motherless goat!" snapped the woman, "I'll render his bones into gelatin!" with that she rushed into the ballroom.

"Sorry about that, my wife has a temper," said the man.

"Well, duh!" said Evie, "so, who are you guys anyway?"

"Oh, right," said the man as he pulled out a business card from his jacket pocket, "I'm Andrew Carpenter, general manager of Joy Division Circus. That lovely woman with the short fuse was my wife, Jill Sparrow, horseback rider, and the man she's about to murder is Saul Gordon, circus maestro."

"I know you guys!" said Jane as she and the other girls read the card, which showed a silhouette of a traveling circus caravan against an elaborately crafted crest with strange markings.

"Me too!" said Lonnie, "you came here ten years ago! I saw you guys perform! Jill was so great on her horse, that black stallion with the blue eyes that sparkled in the light, what was his name?"

"Cobalt Charger," said Andrew, "I'm sad to say we had to put the old boy down last year, but his children and grandchildren are part of the company."

"Then you're coming back here to Auradon?" Evie asked, "we didn't see you before. Heck, some of us haven't even seen a circus before in our whole lives."

"Well then you're in luck, young lady," said Andrew, "because Joy Division is the best circus in the whole world," He then pulled out several tickets from his jacket, "and just because you've never seen a circus before, here's some free passes, good for one admittance each," he then frowned slightly, "assuming I can get permission from your monarch for the company to set up shop in Auradon. Where is King Ben by the way? I was supposed to see him to hammer out the details."

"He should be here at the party," said Mal, "let's go find him,"

They all went into the ballroom. Jay, Carlos and Doug hurried over to their respective dates, each boy dressed fashionably for the party, and each boy admiring Mal's hair.

"There's Jill," said Andrew as he saw his wife, Jill, arguing with a man at the DJ booth, "I'd better get over there before she murder's Saul." With that he hurried across the ballroom.

"How's Chad?" Doug asked.

"I think he's getting better," said Audre, "aren't you, Chad?"

"Chad," said the disoriented son of Cinderella, "I am Chad," he then looked at Audrey, "you're Audrey! I'm Chad and you're Audrey!" he then let out a disoriented giggle, "together we are Chudrey! Or Audrad!"

"Oh God, he's shipping us" said a mortified Audrey, "just get it over with and murder me."

"It could worse," said Mal, "he could be singing how…oh, hey, there's Ben and…oh no! Look who he's talking to!"

Evie and the others saw Ben off in the far corner of the ballroom, having a serious conversation with Heinrich von Karstein.

"If he's here," said Evie, "then…"

"Ahem! Ms. Evie of The Isle!"

There stood the younger von Karstein boys, Karl, Gustav, Wilhelm and Fredrich, all wearing identical black dress uniforms with white gloves. Off to one side stood Stefan von Karstein with his wife and children.

"May I have this dance, Ms. Evie?" asked Gustav.

"Uh…my card's all full," said an intimidated Evie, while Mal, Jane and the other girls, as well as Jay, Doug and the boys, sans Chad, looked uncomfortable at the towering von Karsteins.

"Mine too," said Audrey.

"And mine," said Jane.

"And mine," said Lonnie.

"And mine," said Mal, "besides, I don't think you'd feel comfortable dancing to this music."

"I don't feel comfortable with this music," said Jay, "seriously, what's up with the retro noise?"

"Don't knock it till you try it," said Andrew as he walked back over, "this is the music your parents danced to. Oh, Jill's not going to kill Saul tonight, as long as he plays her favorite songs later on."

"My parents were locked up on a cruddy island, thank you very much," said Jay.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," said Andrew, "but seriously, don't judge a song by it's opening notes. My friend Saul, he doesn't say much but if there's one thing he knows it's music, in fact…wait, what's going on there?"

Up at the DJ booth, both Jill and Saul were having an argument with several tough-looking men in the black uniform of Transdoria, whom had blocked them while another uniformed man replaced records on the turntable. Seconds later the ballroom was filled with the melody of a waltz.

"Now we're comfortable!" said Gustav as he grabbed Evie and swept her into step with the music. At the same time, Frederic grabbed Jane, Wilhelm grabbed Audrey and Karl grabbed Mal. The girls tried to break away but the boy's grip was firm yet gentle. Mal and the others had no choice but to join their unwelcome partners in the waltz.

"Hey! Wait a second!" said Lonnie.

"Just wait until the next song, Ms. Lonnie!" said Karl as he and an uncomfortable Mal spun around, "the night is young and promising!"

"I don't believe this!" said Doug, "I refuse to stand here and let those bulbus barbarians take our girls, not without a fight!" Who's with me!?"

"I don't think we have a choice, man," said Carlos as he, Doug and the confused Chad found themselves blocked from the dance floor by several Transdorian bodyguards. The dance floor was cleared of other partiers to allow the von Karsteins and their uncooperative dance partners to move about freely.

* * *

"You see, your majesty?" asked Heinrich von Karstein, "my sons are already sweeping those young ladies off their feet."

"More like dragging them across the room," said an annoyed Ben. "You actually expect me to believe that Mal and her friends will fall in love with your sons and marry them. No, you came here to Auradon counting on them wanting to marry your sons."

"What girl wouldn't want to marry one of my sons?" asked Heinrich proudly, "my boys are the result of generations of selective breeding and perfected training regimens, making them far superior to any other male specimen Lady Mal and her companions would ever come across."

"Yet they detest your sons," said Ben as he irately crossed his arms. He wanted to say more, specifically how he detested the von Karstein sons, yet held his tongue for diplomacy's sake.

"They're just nervous over their impending nuptials," said Heinrich, "though Karl has yet to make his final decision between Lady Mal and Ms. Lonnie. If it were me I'd choose Lady Lonnie for her beauty and physical prowess, yet one cannot deny Lady Mal's potential for the mystic arts, despite her genetic impurities."

"Excuse me?" asked Ben, "there is nothing impure about Mal! Sure, she grew up among bad guys, but…"

"Her upbringing isn't at question, your majesty," said Heinrich, "it's the fact that she isn't pureblood human. But we cannot pick our mothers. Gods know I never got along with mine. Anyway, the other three matches are all but certified. So, shall we begin wedding preparations while the lawyers and notary publics draw up the marriage contracts?"

Before Ben could reply he was interrupted by the sudden arrival of a rather flustered Fairy Godmother.

"Oh, your majesty!" said Fairy Godmother, "I just found out what happened at the warehouse and I am so sorry. If I had any idea how the anti-magic field would affect Mal I'd never have suggested it in the first place and…" she then saw who was on the dance floor, "why is my daughter dancing against her will with that…that…?"

"That standard of manly perfection that is my son?" asked Heinrich, "madam, you are looking at your future son-in-law, that's what."

At that Fairy Godmother looked ready to chew nails, "I beg your pardon?!" She then shoved Ben and Heinrich aside and ran towards the dance floor, only to find herself restrained by the Transdorian bodyguards. But that didn't stop Fairy Godmother from venting her fury.

"You got engaged without talking to me first, Jane?!"

"Does it look like I'm engaged, mother?!" Jane shouted back as she struggled to free herself from Frederic's grip, "I'd rather chew tin foil than marry this bulbus barbarian!"

"Darn right!" shouted Evie as she, Mal and Audrey tried to get free of their forced dance partners.

"Oh, you're just saying that because you're nervous," said Frederic, "you'll get used to me, so give us a kiss, a taste of what's to come." With that he forced his lips onto Jane's, earning muffled cries of disgust as she fought harder to get away.

At that Carlos let out a shout of rage and charged the line of Transdorian bodyguards, slipping under their reach, dashed onto the dance floor and slammed his fist into Frederic's side. This barely made the larger boy flinch. He was startled enough into letting Jane go.

"Are you alright, Jane?" asked Carlos as she hurried next to him.

"I feel like I need to take a day-long shower to get rid of his taint," said Jane, "other than that I'm fine. How are you?"

"Um…realizing I just did a very stupid thing," said an intimidated Carlos as Frederic menacingly walked up to him, "brave, but stupid."

"Oh, you have no idea," said Frederic, "You insolent little brat! I think I'll thrash a lesson into you. Isn't that right, my brothers?"

Before Carlos could react, he was grabbed by Wilhelm and Gustav, while Karl grabbed Jane and held her arms behind her back.

"Hey! Let him go!" shouted Jay. He then rushed the line of bodyguards, only for one of them to shove him hard. Jay lost his balance and fell on his sprained hand, earning from him a yelp of pain.

"We've got to do something!" said Lonnie as she and Doug helped Jay back up.

"The only thing you inferior swine will do is watch as we teach the pup here how to behave among his betters," said Frederic as Wilhelm and Gustav forced Carlos to kneel, while Karl forced Jane to watch.

"I think I'll start by snapping your fingers one by one," said Frederic as he grabbed Carlos's right hand, "let's see how loud you can scream."

"Let him go!" said Mal furiously, her eyes glowing with rage as she walked up to them, "let my friend go or you'll be sorry!"

"Or what?" asked Frederic, "you'll tickle me to death?" he then laughed cruelly. "What can you do? It's not like you can use magic, it's against the law in this pathetic little kingdom of yours."

"At this point I don't care about the rules," said Mal menacingly, "now let Carlos go or else!"

"Such a sharp tongue on you," said Frederic, "your fiancé will have to blunt it before your wedding night, least he cuts his own tongue on it."

"She may not be my wife," said Karl, "I haven't decided between Mal and Lonnie. Oh, why do I have to choose? They're both so lovely with such lovely genes. Can't I have them both, Father?"

"We'll talk later, son," said Heinrich, "We'll talk."

"No!" said an outraged Ben.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Heinrich.

"There will be no talk!" said Ben, his face set with righteous indignation, "there will be no marriages between your sons and my friends, damn it!"

"Of course there will be marriages!" said Heinrich, "it's not like they're spoken for. I haven't seen any engagement rings on their fingers."

"In Auradon we get married when we want to," said Ben.

"In Transdoria we get married when we _have to_ ," said Heinrich, "and it's not like Lady Mal and her companions could do worse? Lady Lonnie's dating a notorious thief, Lady Jane's paramour has inferior genes inherited from his psychotic mother, Princess Evie's love is a 90lb weakling and you're certainly unfit to marry a girl with the magical potential Lady Mal has. As for Princess Audrey, her date is a drooling idiot!"

"I am not an idiot!" said Chad, "and I'm not drooling!" he then wiped his chin with a napkin.

"It's clear that Lady Mal and her friends are perfect matches for my sons!" said Heinrich, "Their offspring will inherit the best qualities of both parents."

"So that's what this is all about?" an exasperated Ben asked, "you want my friends as breeding stock just so you can have better grandchildren?"

"It's the biological obligation of all lifeforms to produce the best offspring," said Heinrich, "After all, what is life? Life is the beginning of death. What is death? It is the end of life. What is existence? It is the continuation of the blood. And what is blood? It is the reason to exist."

"I'm sorry but I don't agree with that philosophy," said Ben.

"Whether you agree or not it irrelevant," said Heinrich, "the marriages are in your best interest, for think of what I am offering Auradon as a dowry; think of the financial and technological exchanges between Audraon and Transdoria!"

"I'd give it all up to keep my friends away from you!" said Ben, "you and your sons have been nothing but discourteous and sanctimonious since you arrived in the kingdom. I'm willing to forgive rudeness to an extent in the name of international cooperation, but just now you've crossed the line! I want you out of Auradon!"

"I beg your pardon?!" asked an outraged Heinrich.

"You heard me, Count von Karstein!" said Ben, "I, King Benjamin the 1st, hereby exercise my diplomatic authority to expel you, your sons and your retinue from the sovereign soil of The United States of Auradon! Now get the hell out of my kingdom!"

"I take orders from no one!" said a furiously trembling Heinrich, "especially not from a wet behind the ears brat whose head is too small for his crown!" at that he backhanded Ben hard across the face, knocking him down.

"THAT DOES IT!" shouted a furious Mal, her body aglow with a purple aura. She then grabbed Fredrich by the head and burned his face with magical fire, earning a cry of agony from the boy.

"GRAB THE BITCH!" Heinrich ordered at the top of his voice, "GRAB THEM ALL!"

At that Wilhelm, Gustav and Karl grabbed Mal, while Jane, Audrey, Evie and Lonnie were restrained by some of the bodyguards, the rest of them formed a defensive perimeter around the prisoners.

But then everyone heard an animalistic bellow of rage. To the shock and horror, and amazement of some, Ben transformed into a large, fanged, horned, clawed and fur-covered creature very similar to his father's beastly form.

"Oh my stars and garters," said a horrified Fairy Godmother as Ben leaped onto the nearest group of Transdorian bodyguards and began tearing them to pieces. More bodyguards rushed to attack Ben, while most of the partygoers erupted in panic and ran for the ballroom exits.

"We've got to help him!" said Jane, "if Ben stays like this for too long, he'll lose himself to his inner beast!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Evie, "but yeah, let's help him!"

"You're not going anywhere!" shouted Gustav as he produced a syringe and jabbed her on the neck with the needle, injecting the contents. Evie gave a gasp before passing out.

Wilhelm, Fredrich and Karl then jabbed Audrey, Lonnie and Jane in the neck with identical syringes, knocking the girls out cold.

"Keep that thing away from me!" shouted Mal as Karl came at her with another syringe, only for another bodyguard to grab her from behind.

"Just a little prick, my dear," said Karl as he tapped the syringe to make sure all the air was out, "nothing to worry about, at least until I show you the bigger one later." But then a glowing fist hit Karl on his face, sending him flying hard into the ballroom wall.

"Insufferable, misogynistic pig!" said Jill Sparrow, her body glowing with golden energy. She then delivered several punches and kicks to the bodyguard holding Mal, knocking the hapless man down.

"Are you alright? Jill asked.

"Yeah…I'm fine," said a confused Mal, "how did you…? Was that magic?"

"No time to explain," said Jill. "We've got to get you out of here. Now where's that husband of mine? Oh, there he is."

Mal looked and saw Andrew several yards away, calmly walking through the seemingly increasing numbers of Transdorian bodyguards. The black-clad thugs tried to rush Andrew, yet none of them did. Each time one got within grabbing distance of Andrew, their hands would explode, or rather, it was as if something hit their hands and exploded.

Mal blinked when she thought she saw a slightly transparent howitzer perched on Andrew's shoulder.

Mal then heard slightly distorted disco music. She looked and saw Saul Gordon fending off another group of bodyguards, all of whom were staggering about, clutching their ears as a ghostly steam locomotive train painted in wild colors blasted the distorted music around them through speakers placed on the engine.

Before Mal could ask anything, she was nearly knocked unconscious by a massive explosion from above. She regained her senses with ringing ears on the floor, looking around at scorched debris, then looked up to see the ballroom ceiling destroyed. Hovering above the now open ballroom lay a massive VTOL aircraft painted black.

"Lets go, boys!" said Heinrich as the VTOL craft lowered a rope and harness from a rear hatch.

"Gladly," said Gustav as he handed the unconscious Evie to a bodyguard and attached a harness to himself, while Frederic and Wilhelm, already wearing harnesses, picked up the unconscious Jane and Audrey.

"What about Mal?" asked Karl as he handed the unconscious Lonnie to a bodyguard.

"Forget the half-fairy freak!" said Heinrich, "leave her to the beastly abomination!" he then looked to Ben, whom was still tearing apart more and more bodyguards.

"I hope you enjoy your time together with your king, Mal of the Isle!" called Heinrich as winches raised him and his sons to the VTOL aircraft, "send us pictures of your freak babies when you get the chance!" The hatch then closed and the aircraft flew away.

The remaining bodyguards then simply stopped moving. Ben finished tearing them apart, looked around for something else to fight, before letting lose a roar of triumph. He then looked around the ballroom again.

"Good grief! What was that all about?" asked Jay as he, Doug and Carlos, all sporting cuts and bruises, hurried over.

"What's up with those things?" asked Chad.

"Doppelgangers," said Andrew, "very cheep to make but they don't last very long. See? Their cellular structure is already decomposing."

Mal and the others looked and realized that the slain bodyguards, whom had no blood or internal organs, were dissolving into flesh-colored slime.

"Mal, oh my dear, are you alright?" asked Fairy Godmother as she hurried over, not caring that she had stepped in several puddles of dissolved doppelgangers.

"I'm fine, but Ben isn't!" said Mal as she saw the anxious manner Ben was pacing back and forth. She cautiously walked towards him.

"Mal, don't!" said Carlos, "I don't think he's safe to get near."

"He may not recognize you and attack," said Jay.

"I'm willing to risk it," said Mal. She then carefully edged closer. Ben growled menacingly and raised a claw, swiping at the air to force Mal back. She flinched but kept continued her cautious advance.

"Easy now, Ben," said Mal as she slowly raised her hand, "easy now, it's me, Mal. It's alright now, it's alright."

She brought her hand up for Ben to sniff. Recognizing her scent, Ben calmed down and began to shrink. Before Mal's amazed eyes, Ben returned to his human form and size, his clothes ripped and tattered and an exhausted look on his face. He nearly lost balance but Mal caught him before he could fall.

"I…had no idea…I could do that," said a breathless Ben. He then smiled gratefully, "guess I owe you again, Mal."

"Who's counting," said Mal.

"Well, this was some party," said Jill, "but I believe it's time to get serious. There's work to be done."

"Hold it right there!" said Jay, "you know something about what happened! Why did the von Karsteins take Lonnie and the others? And where did they take them?"

"Back to Transdoria," said Andrew, "obviously for a quadruple forced marriage. You'll never catch up with that aircraft, it's faster than anything Auradon has." He looked at Ben, "Your best chance is to organize a rescue party to infiltrate Transdoria and stop Heinrich von Karstein before it's too late."

"Too late for what?" asked Ben, "who are you guys?"

"It's a long story, your majesty, said Jill.

 _…To Be Continued_


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"We're still waiting for an explanation," said Ben as he and Mal looked at Saul, Jill and Andrew. Almost an hour had passed since the abductions and the tension had not lessened an inch. Ben's mood and soured as the minute hand crept across the clock, made worse as he watched the distraught Fairy Godmother try to unsuccessfully ease the worries of Aurura, Phillip and Mulan.

"I said it was a long story, your grace," said Jill, "we're trying to fit together a summarized version you and your comrades would best understand."

"What's to understand?" an impatient Mal asked as she irately paced back and forth, "my friends, including my BFFL of all people, have been abducted by musclebound barbarians! I swear, if those creeps try anything with Evie, if they think they can make her marry one of them and have muscular babies with green hair, I'll burn them so bad, they'll…"

"You'll have to get in line, Mal!" said Ben irately, "what von Karstein did tonight was nothing less than an act of war!"

"War? Let's not be so hastily, your majesty," said Fairy Godmother as she hurried over, "I mean, this whole fiasco may have been nothing more than a cultural misunderstanding."

"Excuse me?" asked Phillip as he walked over with Aurora, "my daughter has been taken against her will and you call it a cultural misunderstanding? With all due respect, Fairy Godmother, but have you gone insane?!"

"No, of course not!" said Fairy Godmother, "good grief, Phillip! My daughter was abducted too! But that's no excuse to lose our heads and rush into war for the wrong reasons! We have to look at this situation with cool, levelheadedness. We have to consider the reason for our daughter's abductions from other points of view."

"I'm partial to agree," said Mulan reluctantly, "for all we know, this is how Transdorian men chose their wives. This whole thing could be a form of counting coup. You know, they have to prove themselves worthy by committing a bold act."

"Makes sense," said Jay, "I don't like it, I really don't like it, but it makes sense."

"Not to me," said Carlos as he held Dude in his arms, "it seemed a little too spontaneous, them taking Jane and the others."

"He's right," said Aurora, "the von Karsteins, they truly believed a marriage agreement could be reached between them and King Ben. The abductions must have been a backup plan."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Chad asked, "we gotta save Audrey!"

"And Jane!" said Carlos.

"And Lonnie!" said Jay.

"And Evie!" said Doug, "we can't just sit around and twiddle out thumbs while our girls are forced to marry those bulging barbarians!"

"You heard my friends!" said Ben to Fairy Godmother, "we're going to war! Assemble the army and call up the reserves!"

"But…but, your majesty," said a nervously faulting Fairy Godmother, "Auradon doesn't have that much of a standing military force."

"Then build it up!" exclaimed Ben, "no matter how long it take, no matter how much it costs, we're gonna make von Karstein pay!"

"And how will you do that?" asked Beast as he and Belle walked up to him, "invade Transdoria and slaughter every innocent civilian in your path?"

"I'll do what has to be done to get my friends back, dad," said Ben, "whatever it takes to make Heinrich von Karstein and his family pay for humiliating Auradon!"

"Ben, you have to calm down," said a worried Belle, "your temper…"

"Don't Tell Me To Calm Down, Mother!" snapped Ben, "this is war! Someone give me a piece of paper! I'm gonna draft the delecration of war here and now! And pity anyone that stands in my way!"

"King Benjamin!" bellowed Saul as he grabbed Ben by the shoulders.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Ben bellowed back.

"Say _Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ_ ," said Saul.

"What?" asked a confused Ben as his wrathful train of thought was broken.

"Say _Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ_ ," said Saul, "just say it."

" _Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ_ ," said Ben, "I don't see how…"

"Say it again," Saul insisted.

" _Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ_ ," said a somewhat calmer Ben.

"And again," said Saul, "and keep saying it. If it sounds too awkward aloud, say it in your mind."

At that Ben began chanting the famous mantra to himself, calming down from his enraged tirade.

"Oh thank goodness," said a relieved Belle, "he's back in control."

"You knew?" asked Mal, "you knew he could transform?"

"You knew, Mom?" asked Ben.

"It's…not something we like to talk about, son," said Beast, "you weren't always the thoughtful, selfless gentleman you are. You were…sort of a brat."

"Brat my eye, Beast," said Mulan, "Ben was utterly horrid when he was in his Terrible Two's." she looked at Ben, "I should know, I babysat for you a few times."

"I was?" an astonished Ben asked. "I don't remember acting bratty."

"Oh, you were more than bratty, sweetheart," said Belle, "when you were little, you used to transform into a beast on a semi-regular basis."

"You wrecked the castle more than once," said Beast, "it was funny and terrifying to see a furry little monster rampaging through the corridors. It reminded me of how selfish and callous I was, and how much of myself was in you."

"This is unbelievable," said Ben as he sat down, "I really don't remember any of that."

"Believe it, man," said Jay, "you've got the power."

"And the temper to back it up," said Carlos, "just remind me not to make you angry, I don't like you when you're angry."

"But what happened?" Mal asked, "why did he stop transforming?"

"It was The Enchantress," said Fairy Godmother in an embarrassed tone, "the same one who originally cast the spell on Beast that turned him into a beast. She showed up during one of Ben's episodes and used her magic, which I tried to stop by the way, you know, because…"

"We know why you don't like magic, FG," said Ben, "go on, what happened?"

"The Enchantress' spell reversed the transformation," said Belle, "she said it would keep you from transforming until you were old enough, wise enough and experienced enough in the world to control yourself, to use your power to protect the ones you love."

"The spell was supposed to wear off after you turned 21, son," said Beast, "we hoped that, by then, after a few years on the throne, you'd be more understanding about your power and have the reasoning on how to use it. But I don't understand how it wore off so soon."

"Our first date," said an astonished Mal, "when you swam in The Enchanted Lake, it reversed my love spell. It must have weakened The Enchantress' spell or something like that. I'm guessing the spell was strong enough that it took this long for it to fully wear off."

"The Enchantress was and still is one of the most powerful practitioners of the mystic arts," said Fairy Godmother, "and a renegade to boot. I keep hoping she'll give up her powers and live with us in Auradon, but she's still wandering the world, causing all sorts of magical mischief."

"So now I turn into a monster whenever I lose my temper," said Ben, "as if I didn't have enough to worry about."

"It's not so bad, Ben," said Mal as she sat next to him, "turning into a monster is kinda cool when you think about it."

"It's not so cool when I can't control it," said Ben, "I could have seriously hurt you, or Jay, or Carlos or Doug!"

"What about me?" asked Chad.

"You'd have been fine," said Ben offhandedly as he focused on Mal, "and anyway, you're one to talk, Mal. You get to turn into a dragon. You can fly, what can I do as a rampaging beast?"

"Uh…jump good?" asked Mal, "seriously, you jumped like halfway cross the ballroom without breaking a sweat."

At that Jay, Carlos and Doug began talking at once at how cool Ben was in his beast form.

"You see, Ben?" Mal asked, "you've got a cool power. You just need to learn how to use it responsibly." She then looked at Fairy Godmother, "and I'm sorry about using magic earlier, but they were going to hurt Carlos."

"As far as I'm concerned, you did the right thing, Mal," said Fairy Godmother, "I doubt words would have resolved the situation. Of all the irrational, uncouth individuals, the von Karsteins are the worst I've ever seen in my life."

"They may be worse than you think," said Jill, "for if I'm right and my fell circus mates are right, then the von Karsteins are part of a vast conspiracy hell-bent on enslaving mankind and plunging the world into an endless age of darkness, doom and despair."

"We're still waiting on an explanation," said Ben, "who are you people?"

"I'll tell you," said Jill, "as soon as Andrew gets back from his phone call. Oh, there he is now."

Andrew, whom had been out in the parking lot to get better reception on his cellphone, walked back in, "Well, I just told Patricia and the others what happened. Oh, Princess Aurora? Your mother just pulled up outside."

"Oh no!" said a worried and somewhat embarrassed Aurora as she hurried out to the hotel lobby to head off Queen Leah.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" shouted Queen Leah from the lobby, "where'd they take my precious JoJo?"

"'JoJo?'" a confused Mal, Jay and Carlos asked.

"Didn't you know?" asked Chad, "that's Audrey's nickname from when we were kids."

"Yeah, it's an amalgamation of her middle and last name," said Phillip, "my mother, Josephine, and our family name, Joestar."

''Joestar?'" asked Mal, Jay and Carlos.

"You don't know?" Ben asked, "of course you don't know. Phillip, he's got a Star-shaped birthmark."

"It's kind of a family trait," said Phillip as he showed Mal and the others his birthmark, "my father had it and so does Audrey."

"Oh, okay, cool," said Mal.

"What'd Patricia say?" Jill asked Andrew.

"She said to tell King Ben and his friends whatever they need to know," said Andrew, "but not to expect help for a while. We weren't expecting von Karstein to make his move so soon, it'll be at least a week before Patricia and the others can get here from headquarters."

"So you did know they'd kidnap Lonnie and the others!" said an accusing Jay.

"We knew von Karstein was looking for breeding stock for his spawn," said Andrew, "we were hoping for a chance to get close enough to him and his sons and learn more about their connection with Shadowcast."

"Shadowcast?" asked Ben, "who or what are they?"

"They're merchants of death, that's what," said Jill in a hateful tone, "they ruined our lives and the lives of so many others."

"I think you'd better start at the beginning," said Mal.

"Good idea," said Andrew, "well…we really don't know where Shadowcast originally came from or how long they've been in operation. What we do know is that they're made up out of unscrupulous scientists and businessmen with no qualms about using people as slaves and test subjects."

"Their overall goal is to perfect super soldier programs and sell them to the highest bidder," said Jill, "I was a test subject in one of their revolting experiments twenty-five years ago."

"I was in another with Saul and a few others," said Andrew, while Saul nodded in agreement. "The program's goal was to activate and enhance latent psychic abilities to create human weapons.

"Oh, then that cannon on your shoulder," said Mal, "and that ghost train thingy Saul was directing."

"You saw them?" an astonished Saul asked, "you saw our Stands?"

"You saw the cannon and train, Mal?" asked Jay, "I saw them too."

"Me too!" said Doug.

"And me!" said Carlos, "and I also saw that gold aura around Jill. And I could swear I saw her arms and legs stretch when she fought those…those clone thingies."

"Doppelgangers," said Jill, "another of Shadowcast's super soldier programs that didn't pan out. So, you all can see Stands and my Hamon."

"I didn't see anything," said Dude, "but it could be because I'm a dog."

"Well, I didn't see anything," said Chad, "then again, I haven't been felling like myself lately," he shook his head to clear it, "seriously, the last day or so is like a fog in my brain. What happened?"

"Evie, Jane and Doug helped Audrey brewed a memory potion to make you forget that you and Audrey broke up after the tournament," said Dude.

"Seriously, Dude," said Carlos as he saw how embarrassed Doug looked, and the mortified look on Chad, "we need to do something about your telling the truth all the time."

"We'll worry about it later," said Mal, "okay, so, what are Stands and Hamon?"

"Hamon," said Jill, "is energy created through controlled respiration," she took a deep breath and the golden aura shined over her body, "the energy ripples through one's bloodstream and can be used for a variety of techniques."

Before anyone could react, Jill stretched her arm towards Jay and gently rapped her knuckles on his forehead. Her arm then retracted to its normal length with seemingly no ill effect on Jill.

"In battle, that technique is called Zooming," said Jill, "Hamon energy allows me to dislocate, elongate and restore my joints without experiencing pain. It can also heal wounds, both on my body and others." She then walked up to Jay, took another deep breath and touched his sprained wrist. The golden energy passed into Jay's arm and healed it within seconds.

"Wow!" said an astonished Jay as he flexed his restored wrest and hand.

"Hamon has other practical uses," said Jill as she walked over Carlos, "especially in a fighting style called Sendo. I'm just gonna borrow your dog for a moment, if that's okay."

"Uh…wait, what?" asked Carlos, but Jill had already picked Dude up and placed him on a nearby pile of ceiling rubble, on top of which was a relatively intact air conditioner unit.

"Carlos! Whatever she's doing, I don't like it!" said Dude, "wait, I can't move!" try as Dude did, he couldn't move his paws from the AC unit.

"Hamon can affect the living and nonliving," said Jill as she stood back a pace, raised her arm up and gently brought it down to touch Dude's head in a soft chopping manner.

"Whatever you're doing, stop it!" shouted Carlos, "let my dog go!" he started towards Jill but found himself restrained by Andrew and Saul.

"Just watch," said Saul.

"She does this whenever a newbie joins the circus," said Andrew, "it's okay."

"She's gonna hurt Dude!" shouted Carlos, "how is this okay?"

"It just is, trust me," said Jill. She then took another deep breath, generating more Hamon energy across her body and raised her arm up.

"CARLOS!" shouted a terrified Dude.

"DUDE!" shouted Carlos.

"Sendo Wave Chop!" said Jill as she brought her hand down. It made contact with Dude's head….

…and the air conditioner and rubble pile broke in half, while Dude was unharmed.

"See? He's fine," said Andrew as he and Saul released Carlos. He rushed to and embraced Dude.

"My Hamon passed right through the little one and destroyed the debris," said Jill, "If I wanted to, I could have sent the energy through the debris and destroyed your friend."

"If you ever do anything like that to Dude again, I'll tear you to pieces!" shouted Carlos as he defensively held Dude away from Jill, "are you alright, buddy?"

"Well, I feel like I had a few dog years scared off," said a somewhat shaken Dude, "but other than that I'm fine, how are you?"

"I'm fine, I think," said Carlos. He then glared at Jill, "seriously, you try anything like that again with Dude, I'll beat you to a pulp!"

"You're welcome to try," said Andrew, "with Hamon, Jill can paralyze your muscles, take control of your body or even turn the most insignificant of objects into a weapon. And of course, you've got to get past me and my Stand, Big Bang Theory."

"What?" asked Mal, "oh, the cannon thing on your shoulder."

"Yep," said Andrew as the ghostly howitzer appeared on his shoulder, "Stands are psychic entities from the User's inner mind, basically the physical manifestation of an esper's power. With my Stand I can target and attack anyone within line of sight, or attack at a great distance provided I have the correct trajectory data."

"But why a cannon?" asked Ben, "and why a train for Saul?"

"There's still a lot about Stands we don't know," said Andrew, "for instance, why they take the forms they take. My theory is that our powers manifest themselves from an image or idea resonating from the subconscious. When I was little my favorite circus act was the human cannonball."

"I collected toy trains when I was little," said Saul as the multi-colored steam locomotive engine, Soul Train, flew around him, "and I love music."

"Shadowcast tried to turn us Stand Users into weapons," said Andrew, "and would have if we hadn't escaped."

"Long story short," said Jill, "a few of us human test subjects organized an escape plan, blew up the laboratory, saved as many of our fellow captives as we could and ran for the hills. Of course, we underestimated how spread out Shadowcast's reach was and had to keep running for some time. In the end we had to make a stand, no pun intended."

"We fought back and went on the offensive," said Andrew, "it took years but we stamped Shadowcast out, destroying their labs and defeating their monstrous minions at every turn. There were a lot more of us by then; freed test subjects and others whom we either taught Sendo, or were natural Stand Users."

"So you can learn to do both?" asked Mal.

"There are those of us who tried," said Jill, "but so far no dice. Some people do have the potential for both Stands and Hamon, but as far as I know, no Stand User on this world can use Hamon and vice versa, though it was rumored Shadowcast was working on a means of overcoming that disability.

"Anyway, after we razed the lased Shadowcast installation to the ground, some of us went our separate ways, but the majority decided to stick together and founded Joy Divison Circus. We figured that, as grateful as we were for our lives and freedom, that we should use that life and freedom to spread a little joy in the world. That and using our powers to make the show even more spectacular was an added bonus."

"But how can you still be fighting Shadowcast if you defeated them?" asked Carlos.

"We thought we defeated them," said Jill, "we truly believed they were destroyed once and for all, until they cropped up a few years later like a weed. So once again we had to battle and wipe them out, and then we had to do it again a few years later. Somehow they're able to rebuild and recover after each defeat. No matter what we do, no matter how many of their monsters we destroy, however many labs and workshops we demolish, however many of their scientists and executives we terminate, they come back."

"And now they're back again," said Andrew, "and this time they have Heinrich von Karstein as a partner."

"Okay, that explains a lot," said Mal, "but what now? What is von Karstein planning for our friends?"

"Nothing good, that's for sure," said Jill, "but one thing's for certain; my husband, Saul and I will do everything in our power to help you and King Ben rescue your friends."

"Oh yeah?" Chad asked, "how? We don't even know where von Karstein took Audrey and the others."

"We have our suspicions," said Andrew, "we have a friend who's gotten rather close to the von Karstein family and if your friends are where we think they are, he'll tell us very soon."

* * *

 **…someplace else…**

Audrey, Lonnie, Jane and Evie all woke with splitting headaches and dry mouths.

"Oh gosh," moaned Lonnie, "if this is what a hangover feels like, I'll never take a drink ever."

"I just want some water," said Evie as she looked around at her surroundings with blurry eyes, finally focusing enough to find a jug of water and several glasses on a nearby table. After quenching her thirst, Evie brought the water over to her friends one by one.

"Okay, that's better," said Jane after taking a full glass of water, "now, what happened?" she then touched her neck, "and why is my neck so sore?"

"We were drugged, that's what!" said Lonnie as she and the others realized they were in an elaborately decorated suite of rooms that seemed over a hundred years out of fashion.

"Well, this…this sucks," said a panicking Jane, "oh, this really, really sucks."

"Oh, this more than sucks, Jane!" said Audrey, "we've been kidnapped! We're gonna die!"

"We're not gonna die, Audrey!" said Evie as she saw a nearby door and hurried to it, yet grunted her frustration when she found it was locked.

"Yes we are!" shouted Audrey as Jane and Lonnie tried several windows in the rooms, yet all were locked and barred.

"No, we're not!" said Lonnie, "not if we keep our cool and stay cool."

"You try staying cool in a situation like this!" exclaimed Audrey as she grabbed Lonnie by the arms, "we're locked in some crazy, last century retro hotel room or something with no way out!"

"There's got to be a way out," said Evie, "check the furniture! Check the paintings! Check the curtains! Check everything! There has to be a way out, there has to be!"

"Not if they want to kill us!" cried Audrey, tears of fear and panic falling from her eyes, "We're trapped! We're in some horrible trap where some sicko wants us to play some sick game to teach us some sick lesson that'll get us all killed! We're all gonna die!"

At that Lonnie slapped Audrey hard across the face, "Snap out of it, will you!"

Audrey immediately calmed down, "oh…oh, wow, that really worked," she said in a more reasonable tone as she felt where she was slapped.

"Feeling better?" Lonnie asked.

"Much better, actually," said Audrey, "thanks. But…we're still trapped."

"I think I know who trapped us," said Jane as she stood in the doorway of a bedroom. She pointed to one side where on the wall hung a massive portrait of Heinrich von Karstein, sitting in a large oak chair. Around him were his sons when they were younger; the eldest, Stefan, looked no older than 12, while the youngest, Gustav, was about 8. Right next to Heinrich stood a tall, curvaceous woman with long, raven black hair, an intoxicatingly beautiful face and captivating violet eyes.

"Countess von Karstein I presume," said Evie as she and the others looked at the family portrait.

"Helena," said Jane as she read the plaque at the bottom of the portrait, "her name is Helena. I think I know her. I mean, I know of her. Helena van Dorian of Kastrovalon."

"Of course, Helena van Dorian!" said Evie excitedly, "My mother had a serious rivalry with Helena for the title of 'Fairest of Them All' when they were teenagers. Helena wanted to inherit the title from her mother, Cassandra."

"Helena must've been really disappointed to lose to your mother," said Audrey as she looked at the image of Helena, "oh…imagine the attention I'd get if I had eyes like hers."

"Yes, she's very pretty," said Lonnie dryly, "too bad her sons got their looks from their dad." She then glared hatefully at Heinrich in the portrait, "you sick creep! Why'd you do this, you son of a motherless goat!" Lonnie then found a nearby knickknack and prepared to throw it at the portrait.

"Don't!" said Evie as she grabbed Lonnie's throwing arm, "don't damage the painting. It could be a vital clue."

"I'm sorry, but how's a painting gonna get us out of here?" asked Lonnie.

"It probably won't," said Evie, "but it may help us deal with Heinrich, whenever he decides to show his smug mug around here."

"Okay, I'm looking at it," said Audrey, "all I see is a psycho with his psycho brood. Ugh, even as little boys, the von Karsteins were way to muscular. Seriously, what did they eat? Raw meat and eggs mixed with steroids?"

"You're focusing too much on the bigger picture to see the details," said Evie, "look at Heinrich."

"I am and I hate him even more," said Audrey.

"He's not so smug in the picture," said Evie, "the artist captured the sour mood Heinrich was in at the time. You see how grim is expression is? How he's gripping the arms of the chair? And next to Helena, part of the painting was redone some time after the original portrait was finished."

"It's almost as if someone wanted everybody to forget whatever it was that made Helena so happy," said Lonnie, "See her smile? That's the smile of a happy mother."

"So?" asked Audrey.

"So, the von Karsteins clearly have a deep, dark secret," said Evie, "if we can figure it out, we can use it make them let us go."

"Or we could have Jane zap us back home or whatever magic users do to travel," said Audrey, "Jane, make with the magic."

"I can't teleport all of us!" said Jane, "I can't even teleport myself."

"Of course you can teleport," said Audrey, "you've been practicing behind your mom's back."

"I've been practicing translocating small objects," said Jane, "and I still need more practice. If I try teleporting us, who knows where we'll wind up? And in what condition."

"How about a lockpicking spell?" asked Evie, "I think I remember the spell Mal used when we tried to break into the museum to steal your mom's wand."

"That could actually work," said Jane, "wait, you guys broke into the museum? Why aren't you in jail?"

"Well, we almost got caught," said Evie, "but Carlos bluffed the security people on the phone into thinking it was a false alarm, and we never did thank him for that."

"Yeah, he is a great guy," said Jane as she fondly thought of Carlos.

"Hello? Focus, Jane!" said Audrey, "Evie, give her the spell already!"

"Alright, let's see if I can remember it right," said Evie as she paced back and forth in thought, "ummm…how did it go? Oh, now I remember! 'Male it easy, make it quick, open up without a kick.'"

"That's actually a spell?" Audrey asked.

"It was in Mal's book," said Evie, "and she used it because Jay was gonna kick the door open."

"Ah, the old 'dynamic entry,'" said Lonnie, "Yeah, Jay's awesome like that."

"UGH! Can we focus on getting out of here and not on your boyfriends already?!" exclaimed Audrey.

"Okay, just give me a second," said Jane as she shook out her hands and took a bracing breath, "uh…do I need to sing the spell or something? Or wave my hands in a pattern or something?"

"Just say the spell and point at the lock," said Evie, "it'll click open, I hope."

"Just do it already!" said an impatient Audrey.

"Okay, here it goes," said Jane. " _'Make it fast, make it quick, open up without a kick!'_ "

She pointed at the door and, much to everyone's shock, Jane's arm crackled with red energy. She cried out in pain and flew backwards, landing hard on the floor in a dazed heap.

"Oh my glob! Jane!" exclaimed Audrey as she and the others ran over to their semi-conscious friend.

"What happened? Did the spell backfire or something?" asked Lonnie.

"I don't know!" said Evie franticly, "this didn't happen with Mal.

"Oh, my head," said Jane in a woozy tone, "what…did it work?"

"The spell backfired," said Audrey as she and the others helped Jane sit up, "Evie must have remembered it wrong."

"I did not!" said Evie irately, "I was there when Mal used it! And further more…" she then paused as a troubling thought occurred, "am I the only one who thinks it's weird that the first thing we found when we woke up was a convenient jug of water?"

Lonnie went back to the main room and picked up the jug, "you think it was poisoned?"

"We'd all be affected if it was," said Jane in a disturbed tone, "but it's just me and I think I know why; I can't feel my magic."

It was then that the four girls heard the sound of someone sneezing, followed by someone harshly whispering, _"oh crap!"_

Evie glanced at the nearby curtains, then nodded to Lonnie, whom nodded in acknowledgement. "So…Jane…" said Evie in a nonchalant tone as she and Lonnie inched towards the curtains, "how'd you know about Ben and his furry little problem."

"Huh…oh, how he could transform," said Jane as she realized what was going on. "Well, I once overheard my mother talking with Beast and Belle a while back, before Ben's coronation that is. Belle was worried that Ben was growing up too fast and that the blocking spell The Enchantress put on Ben would wear off and he wouldn't be able to control his power and go full on beastly."

"Well, you learn something new about your friends every day," said Evie as she and Lonnie stood on either side of the curtain. "Guess life is full of SUPRISES!" at that she and Lonnie threw the curtain aside, revealing a girl of about 16 with long blond hair, brown eyes, standing just under 5ft tall and wearing a maid's uniform.

"Double crap!" exclaimed the girl and she dashed for the door, fumbling for something in her pocket.

"No you don't!" shouted Lonnie as she grabbed the edge of a rug and yanked hard, tripping up the girl in the maid's uniform. She fell on the floor and a ring of keys fell from her grip.

"Get her!" shouted Evie as she and Lonnie pounced on the terrified girl.

"NO! DON'T HURT ME!" the girl pleaded as Lonnie and Evie forced her to stand up with her hands held behind her back.

"Then don't give us a reason to," said Audrey, "Jane, grab those keys, one of them has to unlock the door."

"Right," said Jane as she picked up the keyring and began trying them on the lock.

"Alright, talk!" said Audrey to the terrified girl, "who are you? Where are we?"

"And did you poison that water?" asked Lonnie.

"I didn't put anything in the water, I swear!" the girl pleaded, "I just brought it in like I was told to. Please don't hurt me, I'm just a chamber maid!"

"No one's going to hurt you," said Evie in a placating tone, "we're not as cruel and crash as the von Karsteins," she looked at Audrey and Lonnie, "right?"

"Of course right," said Lonnie as she relaxed somewhat.

"Well, I guess so," said Audrey, "but that's no excuse for you spying on us. So, which of the von Karstein boys are you reporting to? I'll bet it's that pig, Wilhelm."

"I just do as I'm told, like the rest of the staff," said the girl, "please, you've got to let me go or you'll get me in trouble! I'm on thin ice as it is! I only just started working here at the castle and the von Karsteins expect their staff to follow their rules to the letter. Please don't get me in trouble! I need this job!"

"I'm sorry, but we have to," said Audrey, "my friends and I were taken against our will from Auradon, and since you know your way around this place, you're gonna help us escape."

"Escape?" asked the girl in an astonished tone, "but…why would you want to leave? This is The Falcon's Nest, ancestral home of House von Karstein. Why would you ever want to leave when you are about to become part of the family?"

"Are you dumb or something?!" exclaimed Audrey, "I just told you that my friends and I were kidnapped! Of course we want to leave!"

"But you're to marry Masters Wilhelm, Fredrich, Karl and Gustav," said the girl, "everyone's talking about how the young master's brides to be have finally arrived."

"Well, you heard wrong," said Audrey, "we're getting out of here, and you're helping us whether you want to or not!"

"Hold on, Audrey," said Evie, "there's no reason to get her in trouble," she then looked at the girl, "what's your name anyway?"

"Marie," said the girl, "Marie Lehmann. Please, you don't understand what it's like in Transdoria for the common people. Either you work or you fight."

"What are you talking about?" Lonnie asked.

"Ever since Count von Karstein became the driving force in Transdoria, unemployment has all but vanished," said Marie, "but not in a good way. Count von Karstein expanded the military and instigated mandatory service for anyone not employed by the age of 16. If I lose this job I'll be drafted, and I don't want to be drafted."

"You don't?" asked Audrey, "so what if you go into the military? At least it's a stable job and it's not like Transdoria is at war with anyone, or are they?"

"Not yet," said Marie, "it's rumored that Count von Karstein is waiting for something, some plan or weapon to make his armies unstoppable. And there are other rumors, about what happens to soldiers once they pass basic training, rumors of experiments, terrible experiments."

"I had no idea," said a disturbed Evie, "why doesn't anyone do anything about it?"

"And get thrown up against an execution wall? I don't think so," said Marie, "no, better to keep your head down and hope for the best."

"Ugh," said a disgusted Audrey, "you'll never get anywhere if you keep your head in the ground. Jane, how's that door coming?"

"There's a lot of keys," said Jane as she kept trying keys in the lock, "it's gonna be…oh! Got it!" she turned the key and the lock clicked. Jane then eagerly threw the door open, then let out a terrified squeak as she backed away. In walked Claudette von Karstein, flanked by several bodyguards.

"Mistress Claudette!" exclaimed Marie as she freed herself from Evie and Lonnie, then flew herself at Claudette's feet, "I'm so sorry, I knew I shouldn't have interacted with the girls, but I was curious, and they were waking up while I was making sure everything was perfect in their quarters!"

"That's enough, Marie," said Claudette sternly, "you know the rules and you broke them. I'm afraid my husband will…"

"Oh no! Please don't tell Master Stefan!" pleaded Marie, "and don't tell his brothers or Count von Karstein! I beg you! I'll never break the rules again! Please!"

"Well…I suppose I can overlook this one indiscretion," said Claudette in a more compassionate tone, "but consider this your one free pass. The next time I'll have no choice but to report you to my husband and father-in-law."

"Oh, thank you!" said a joyfully crying Marie, "thank you, Mistress Claudette! You won't regret this!"

"See that I don't," said Claudette, "now pull yourself together and get back to work."

"Yes, Mistress Claudette," said Marie as she stood up and wiped her eyes. Regaining her composure, Marie walked out of the room.

"Forgetting something, Marie?" Claudette called after her.

"Forgetting?" Marie asked as she stood in the doorway, "I don't think I've…oh! Oh!" she then retrieved her keys from the lock, "oh, of course, silly me!" she then hurried down the corridor before she got herself in further trouble.

"I do apologize for this little episode," said Claudette, "she's still learning the ropes."

"At least someone in the von Karstein family has a heart," said Lonnie as she, Jane, Evie and Audrey stood together.

"What did you put in the water?" asked Evie, "what did you do to Jane?"

"Just a mild drug to ensure she doesn't use her magic," said Claudette, "it would have affected Lady Mal just the same, can't have you leaving before the nuptials of course."

"Oh for crying out loud!" exclaimed Lonnie, "we're not marrying the von Karstein boys!"

"I'm afraid you have no choice in the matter," said Claudette, "preparations are already under way. Yes, my brothers-in-law are in dire need of etiquette lessons, the gods know I certainly had a lot to work with when I married Stefan. It almost killed me but I made a halfway decent gentleman out of Stefan, so I'm sure you four are more than capable of whipping Gustav and the others into shape."

"I'd rather be thrown off the tallest building in the world, run over by lawnmowers and trampled by a stampede of wild animals than marry one of your in-laws!" said Audrey as she irately crossed her arms, "ain't that right, girls?"

"Darn right!" said Lonnie as she, Evie and Jane irately crossed their arms.

"Again, you have no choice," said Claudette, "once my father-in-law sets his mind to something, he sees it through, no matter what it takes. One way or another, with or without your consent, you will marry Stefan's brothers."

"Why?" asked Evie, "why is Heinrich so zealous about us marrying his sons? What does he hope to get out of it? Besides overly-muscular babies with green hair."

"My father-in-law has a dream," said Claudette, "a grand vision for the future he'll go to any length to see come true. Whether you like it or not, you four are part of that vision." At that she turned to leave.

"Please, don't do this," said Jane, "help us."

"Don't try to escape again," said Claudette at the doorway, her left hand touching her right forearm as if remembering something painful, "it's better not to try." She walked out the door, followed by the bodyguards. The door closed and locked again.

"Well, this is just great!" said Audrey irately, "we're no better off than we were before."

"We know they're suppressing Jane's magic with drugs," said Evie.

"So don't drink the water and don't eat the food, Jane," said Lonnie.

"And die of starvation and/or dehydration?" asked Jane, "it's alright, I doubt I could have gotten us out anyway, not with my undeveloped powers anyway. No, girls, if we're gonna get out of here, we'll have to do what my mother always preaches; do without magic."

"This isn't happening," said a panicking Audrey as she began pacing back and forth again, "this is so not happening."

"Denying it won't change anything," said Lonnie, "do I have to slap you again?"

"You slap me I'll slap you back!" snapped Audrey, "wait, why am I worrying? Ben, Chad and the others back in Audradon, they'll come help! All we have to do is wait patiently for our princes and friends to come and they'll come!"

"I hope so," said Evie as she sat down, "I don't even want to think about what horrors von Karstein has to stop our friends. I just hope Mal, Doug and the others are alright." She frowned in slight confusion and felt her pocket. She started to pull something out, then stopped and stood up. "I have to use the bathroom."

"It's a free country," said Audrey, "at least in theory."

"Whatever," muttered Evie as she hurried to the bathroom. She closed the door, then looked around at her surroundings. It was an enormous bathroom, bigger and more lavish than anything in Auradon. The least expensive parts were the solid gold sink and faucet. Evie could only guess how much the bathtub, the size of a small swimming pool and encrusted with thousands upon thousands of jeweled tiles, cost.

Evie put all thoughts of her extravagant surroundings aside as she searched the room for surveillance items; cameras, microphones and so on.

"Times like this I wish I still had my magic mirror," said Evie as she finished her search as best she could. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper and read it.

 _Destroy this as soon as you read it. I'm sorry if I come across as a sniveling coward looking out for herself, but I can't risk the von Karsteins finding out who I really am or why I'm really here. I can't tell you my mission, but if the chance to help you and your friends escape comes, I'll take it. Don't lose hope, you have a friend in The Falcon's Nest._

Evie smiled as she read the note several times to make sure she didn't miss anything, then tore it to pieces and flushed them down the toilet. She left the bathroom to rejoin her friends, unaware that a small panel in the wall was open, unaware that a pair of mismatched eyes watched her with intense curiosity.

* * *

 **…The Isle of the Lost…**

"It's a curious thing, Mr. Smee," said Harriet Hook as she and Sammy Smee stood on a beach of the seaward side of The Isle, looking out towards the open ocean, "you can't see it but it's there," she pointed out with her cutlass, "that barrier has kept our forbearers and us younger generation imprisoned on this aquatic gulag for a solid score of years. There's been many an escape attempt, yet none successful, until today."

"Beging your pardon, Captain," said Sammy Smee timidly, "but…your brother and sister…."

"Ah yes, me dear brother Harry and sister C.J.," said Harriet contemptuously, "both of whom snuck off without so much as inviting me along for the ride, let alone biding me farewell. Well, let them. Let me ditz of a sister make a fool of herself on dry land. As for Harry, I could care less about him. So what if he's signed on with that barnacle bimbo, Uma. That miserable excuse for a Sea Witch doesn't know the first thing about piracy."

"And what about Gil, Captain?" asked Sammy Smee, "didn't you date him for a while and…"

At that Harriet pointed her cutlass tip at his throat, "if you mention that brainless buckethead again, Mr. Smee, I'll skin ye' alive and make a new flag out of yer hide, is that understood?!"

"Perfectly undersood, Captain!" said Sammy Smee as he nervously clutched at the red hat he inherited from his father.

"Excelent," said Harriet as she sheathed her cutlass, "now, where was I?"

"Uh…no one has escaped The Isle until now, Captain," said Sammy Smee, "unless you count Mal and her friends…"

"I meant no one has escaped without outside help, Mr. Smee," said Harriet, "but we shall put all past escape attempts to shame! With our glorious boat!"

Harriet pointed her cutlass at a cave. She and Sammy Smee walked into the cave, where what appeared to be a submarine was moored to a makeshift dock. The sub looked to be assembled out of recycled metal and plastic parts.

"Two years ago this was nothing more than a barge of waste," said Harriet fondly as she and Sammy Smee boarded the submarine, "until our dear mate U.N. Owen Jr. had a stroke, of genius!"

The two made their way to the captain's quarters, decorated with recycled old trinkets and salvaged items from the ocean floor.

"Everyone is assembled, Skipper," said Clay Clayton as he, Ginny Gothel, Anthony Tremaine and Claudine Frollo, stood in a line in front of the rest of the crew.

"Excellent, Master of Arms," said Harriet as she patted Clay on the shoulder. She then looked at Ginny Gothel, "Helmsperson," then at Claudine Frollo, "Navigator," then at Anthony Tremaine, "Purser. You, the officers and crew of T _he Gray Phantom_ , our beloved boat and new home, have done exceptional work. Extra grog with dinner tonight, on me!"

"Three cheers for Captain Harriet Hook!" shouted Ginny Gothel, at which she and the rest of the crew shouted "HUZZAH! HUZZAH! HUZZAH!"

"The trial runs we've done with _The Gray Phantom_ have proven her not only to be seaworthy," said Harriet, "but also capable of penetrating the hated barrier surrounding our island prison, and it is a prison. The Isle of The Lost has never been our home. The sea, the open ocean, that is where we belong. Soon we shall leave this accursed island and Auradon forever!"

"Another three for the Captgain!" shouted Claudine Frollo.

"HUZZAH! HUZZAH! HUZZAH!"

"And it's all due to our dear friend U. N. Owen Jr," said Harrier, "the son of a forgettable henchman. He had the miraculous luck to find among the endless shipment of Auradonian garbage an intact copy of Captain Nemo's notes on The Nautilus that somehow survived the destruction of Vulcania.

"It was our friend Owen, who had the divine genius to interpret Nemo's notes. It was he who discovered the deposits of Raritanium in the undersea caves in and around the island. It was he who reasoned how to refine the Raritanium and combine it with recycled garbage to construct this marvelous vessel. Auradon's waste is the key to our freedom!"

"HUZZAH! HUZZAH! HUZZAH!"

"Soon, me dear friends," said Harriet, "very soon, we shall at long last, take our leave of The Isle and Auradon! We shall live as Nemo did, farming the ocean riches and striking terror in the hearts of his enemies. And just who are _our_ enemies, dear friends?"

"EVERYONE ELSE!" shouted the crew.

"Yes, yes indeed," said Harriet, "now, back to work, everyone! There's still much to do before we set sail."

"AYE, SKIPPER!" said the crew.

"Now," said Harriet to Sammy Smee as the crew dispersed, "where is our friend Owen anyway?"

"I believe he's in the cargo hold, Skipper," said Sammy Smee, "With Mr. Huntsman and Ms. Seuton."

"Oh, they're not still trying to get that blasted chest open, are they?" asked an annoyed Harriet, "well, we'll soon put them to right!" With that she, with Sammy Smee in tow, hurried down to the cargo hold to find three individuals standing around a table.

The first was a short boy of about 18 with short black hair and wearing grease-stained overalls beneath a lab coat, gray with age and stained with who knows what filth. Wrapped around his eyes were a pare of mechanical goggles that had adjustable lenses.

The second was a boy, also about eighteen, tall and well-muscled, with short brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a stitched-together uniform on which was pinned seashell carved into the shape of a diving helmet.

The last was a girl, about fifteen, with long, dirty blonde hair braided into three plats, with hazel eyes and wearing a different uniform and stockings.

The three of them were focused on a large chest on the table. Stained by water and covered in barnacles and bits of coral, the chest had two oddly defining features; it had no lock and no hinges.

The girl noticed Harriet and Sammy Smee, "Captain on Deck!" she shouted and she and the two boys came to attention.

"At ease, Fen," said Harriet as she and Sammy Smee stepped closer, "so, you three still at it? Fen Seuton, my adjutant and steward," she looked at the tall boy, "Chief Petty officer Geoffrey T. M. Huntsman," then at the short boy with the goggles, "and Chief Engineer and dear friend, U.N. Owen Jr. Haven't you three got anything better to do than fool around with a chest that can't be opened?"

"It can be opened, Skipper!" insisted Geoffrey Huntsman, "I know it can be open! Mr. Owen, he as a new invention…"

"With all due respect, Skipper," said U.N. Owen Jr, or just Owen, "ever since Geoffrey found the chest while bravely testing the diving equipment…"

"I was there too, Skipper," said Fen Seuton, "I tested one of the diving suits to."

"I know, you two were very brave," said Harriet, "but this is getting ridiculous. You've been trying to crack this shell open for…how long has it been…three months?"

"Three months, nine days and eleven hours, Skipper," said Owen, "and I'm not ashamed to admit it, I'm dying of curiosity. I must know what's in the chest, and today I will. I finally have my laser cutter working." He indicated said device on another table, "if this doesn't get that chest open, nothing will."

"A chest with no lock and no hinges," said Sammy Smee, "you should never have brought it aboard. The longer it's been here, the more I feel like it's bad luck. That's what it is, nothing but bad luck!"

"It's got treasure in it, that's what!" said Geoffrey Huntsman, "it's got riches beyond our wildest dreams!"

"Even if it doesn't have treasure," said Owen as he powered up the laser cutter, "I'm dying of curiosity to find out what's in it. Someone went to a lot of trouble to make this thing as hard as possible to get open. They obviously wanted to keep something safe."

"Something valuable," Geoffrey Huntsman insisted, "something perhaps my beloved Evie would appreciate! Yes, it has to be something she'd want! I'll bring it to her and she'll join us at sea! And we'll be together beneath the waves, forever!"

"Oh come on, Geoffrey!" said Fen, "you've been moaning and moping about Evie since we were kids. She barely knows you exist, so get over it."

"NEVER!" exclaimed Geoffrey, "I will never abandon my love and loyalty to Evie! My uncle failed her mother when he refused to deliver Snow White's heart, but failure isn't in my vocabulary! I'll deliver the hearts of everyone in Snow White's family to Evie if it'll prove my love and devotion!"

"Yeah, keep dreaming, my friend," said Owen as he finished powering up the laser cutter, "now stand back if you want to keep your head, shoulders, knees and toes, I'm blowing this dome!"

Harriet and the others backed away as Owen aimed and fired the laser cutter at the chest, burning away the seam connecting the two halves of the wooden container. After several minutes he had cut all the way around.

"This is it, people!" said Owen triumphantly as he powered off and set down the laser cutter, "after who knows how many years, decades, centuries even, we will be the first to see what's inside this most peculiar chest!" he then lifted of the lid with a dramatic flourish.

The young freebooters clustered around the table and looked into the chest. Inside was a mask carved from white stone and slightly cracked with age. The mask had a somewhat masculine face with sharp, slightly slanted eye slits, a small mouth that, depending on how you looked at, seemed to be smiling slightly with full lips and small fangs resting on the bottom lip. At the bottom of the forehead was a raised ridge running to the top, joining another ridge that spiraled to the left side.

"Well, this was anticlimactic," said Fen.

"A MASK!?" bellowed Geoffrey, "We spent three months trying to get this stupid chest open? And all for a crummy mask?!"

"The cosmic trickster got us good this time," said Owen as he took the mask out of the chest, "strange, I have no idea what kind of stone this is, and I've read all I could about geology from the books the Auradonians threw away. It's so light and…" he turned the mask around and found several lines of writing on the reverse side, "and I have no idea what language it is."

"Probably says who it belongs to," said Fen, "whoever it belonged to is long dead. Best throw it back into the sea, Skipper. I'll take it up top and…"

"No," said Harriet as she took the mask from Owen, "no, I think I'll keep it for a while."

"Captain, I think that's a very bad idea," said a visibly frightened Sammy Smee, "you should get rid of it."

"Now why would I do that, Mr. Smee?" asked Harriet, "it's just a mask," she then put the mask over her face, "See? It's just a mask," she took the mask off and looked at it, "not a very flattering mask, I'll give you, but…there's something about it…"

She looked at the mask for several seconds with a blank expression, as if in a trance. She blinked and looked at her crewmates, "it's just a trinket, nothing special, but I kind of like it."

"In that case, I'll take it to your quarters, Skipper," said Fen, "but perhaps I'll clean it up a bit first? It was sitting in that chest for who knows how long, it might…"

"I'll clean it," said Harriet insisted as she walked towards the door, "I'll take care of the mask and keep it in my personal safe, which I alone have the combination."

"Where you keep your most prized posessions, Captain?" asked Sammy Smee, "but…"

"She's gone, Sammy," said Geoffrey as Harriet left the cargo hold, "with that stupid mask. What a waste of time. I should grab that mask and smash it."

"You'll get keelhauled for your trouble, my friend," said Owen as he more closely examined the inside of the chest, then the inside of the lid, "you know how our dear captain gets once she has her _hooks_ into something. It's how we managed to put this marvelous vessel together so quickly. Speaking of which, we've still got a lot to do before we're ready to set sail."

"Uh…yes, we do," said Sammy Smee, "we've still provisions to put aboard, plus the rest of the Rareatanium fuel."

"Oh, that reminds me!" said Owen, "I need to finish the secondary and tertiary fuel systems! We'd be in a sorry mess if we were stuck on rough seas with a broken fuel pump, now would we?"

At that Owen, Sammy Smee, Geoffrey and Fen went about their duties.

But Fen hurried to her quarters and locked the door. Activating an anti-eavesdropping device, she pulled out a miniature HAM radio set, put a pair of headphones over her ears, tuned the radio to the desired frequency and pressed the transmit button.

"DFX-824 to HZ-19, DFX-824 to HZ-19, do you read me, over!"

 _"HZ-19 to DFX-824, I read you. How are things, Fen, over!"_

"DFX-824 to HZ-19, please don't use my name! Joy Division could be listening on this frequency, over!"

 _"Fen, they're not. We've got Joy Division chasing so many shadows, it's miracle they know which way is up. Now please call me Adriane, for crying out loud, over."_

Fen sighed with anxiety before continuing, "alright, Adriane. Now, I need to report something incredible! You know that item you told me and the other operatives to keep an eye out for? Over."

 _"You mean you found it?"_ Adriane asked.

"You're supposed to say 'over' when you're done talking," said Fen, "and yes, we found it, over!"

"Where is it?" Adriane asked with anxious desperation, _"I've been looking for another Stone Mask for years. The one I had was destroyed and I had all but given up hope of finding another!"_

Fen kept silent as she waited for Adriane to finish her end of the conversation.

 _"Over, already!"_ snapped Adriane.

"It's just as you described, Adriane," said Fen, "the spiraled ridge, the fangs, the writing, it's the real deal, over."

 _"Did you do the test to make sure it is the real deal, over?"_ asked Adriane.

"Uh…no," said Fen, "Harriet has it. She seemed fascinated by it and has it locked in her personal safe, which I don't have the combination to. Over."

 _"That's a problem,"_ said Adriane, _"fortunately I think I have a plan to get it, and get rid of Harriet while we're at it. I've thought about your last report and agree, Harriet Hook could be trouble. I'll let you know when I'm ready to make my move, over."_

"Roger, HZ-19," said Fen, "this is DFX-824, over and out."

* * *

 _…Elsewhere…_

"Insufferable twit," said Adriane irately as she switched off her superior communication device. She then settled into a meditation posture and, after several minutes of mantra chanting and concentration, projected her astral form across the material plane to Bald Mountain. She soon reached the cave where Uma and her crew were lounging about, remaining invisible as she spied on the young pirates.

"I'm starving," said Harry.

"Then pop something in the microwave," said Uma as she pointed her pistol towards the makeshift kitchen set up deeper in the cave.

"I don't want something frozen," said Harry.

"Then open a bag of chips!" said Uma, "we've got plenty of junk food and stuff."

"Let me explain it plainer," said Harry as he sat up, looking irately at Uma, "I don't want something preprocessed. I want something fresh, something hot out of the oven, something somebody actually made right in front of me."

"Are you implying that you want me to cook for you, Harry Hook?" an annoyed Uma asked as she stood up.

"Well, since you're the only member of the crew who actually knows how to cook, yes," said Harry as he stood up.

"Well, you'd better learn how to cook yourself," said Uma, "because my days of slaving in a filthy kitchen are over! You wanna eat, make it yourself!"

"Or we could just order something," said Gil as he held up a pilfered cell phone, "we can order pretty much anything with these. Why didn't we use them before?"

"Because, for the hundredth time, cell phones don't work on The Isle," said an exasperated Uma, "and if you actually had two brain cells to rub against, Gil, you'd know we can't order anything without getting caught."

Just then Adriane appeared, startling Uma and her crew, "or you could set up a rendezvous point for the deliverymen."

"Don't scare us like that!" said Uma, "and stop showing up unannounced!"

"I do apologize for my uninvited intrusion," said Adriane, "but I couldn't stay away, not with what's happening in Auradon. You do know what's happened in Auradon?"

"Yeah, we're causing havoc in a scale those prim and proper posers are completely unprepared for," said Uma.

"I'm not talking about our exploits," said Adriane, "you all have smartphones, use the news apps, assuming you've mastered the use of your new devices."

"Of course we know how to use them!" said Harry irately, "it's just," he then looked at his pilfered cell phone, "I think mine's broken."

"Allow me," said Adriane as she took Harry's phone, "some phones have the power button on the side, others have them on top. Personally I think they should all be the same, and I certainly hate the fact that they stopped installing headphone jacks on the newer models. What if you don't have Bluetooth headphones? What, am I supposed to fork over another hundred clams just for another device I have to plug in and recharge every few hours? And why can't they make a battery that lasts longer?"

"Never mind that dugong dung!" exclaimed Uma, "What's the news?"

"What news?" asked Adriane.

"The news in Auradon, you scurvy simpleton!" Harry demanded.

"Oh, that news," said Adriane as she pulled up a news story on Harry's phone, "apparently Auradon is about to go to war."

At that Uma, Gil and the other teenage pirates hurried to pull up the story on their phones, while Harry roughly grabbed his phone back from Adriane.

After a few seconds of reading, Harry and Uma began laughing wickedly.

"I don't get it," said Gil.

"You're reading the wrong story," said Adriane, "I'll summarize it for you; the post-tournament party was sent into an uproar when Count von Karstein and his sons abducted Princess Audrey, Princess Evie, Lady Lonnie and Lady Jane."

"While Ben and Mal were made complete fools of!" laughed Uma, "they just stood there while their friends were taken! What losers!"

"I'm afraid the media's not telling the whole story," said Adriane, "they fought back, with magic and so much more. No doubt Fairy Godmother didn't want the kingdom to know their monarch and his paramour were breaking the rules."

"Okay, so, Ben and Bal were humiliated by outsiders," said Harry, "good for the outsiders. But what does that have to do with us?"

"You really are lacking in imagination, young Mr. Hook," said Adriane, "don't you see? Don't any of you realize it? Auradon has been thrown into chaos by von Karstein's uncouth actions. Now is the time, while King Benjamine's focus is on getting revenge on von Karstein and saving his friends. Now, while the authorities are organizing for war, to finish the job and get the last shipment of pharmaceuticals."

"I'll be darned, she's right," said Uma, "they'll all so wacked out by what's happening to pay any attention to us." She stood up and grabbed her cutlass, "the tide is rising, mates! Shall we rise with it or get swept out to sea!?"

"RISE!" exclaimed Harry, Gil and the other teenage pirates as they all brandished their weapons.

"I believe you and your compadres are going to enjoy the life of luxury," said Adriane, "and you're going to be even richer, Uma. I have something extra in mind, a special job. just for you, Harry and Gil."

"A special job?" asked Uma, "with extra pay? How much extra?"

"I'll double what I promised," said Adriane, "for you and your closest companions. I don't trust anyone except you, young Mr. Harry and Mr. Gil, and it must be done right away. Let the rest of your crew get the pharmaceuticals, this, this one item is going to make or break our fortunes."

"Sounds serious," said Uma, "what is it that's so important?"

"A mask," said Adriane, "a magical mask with great power. Whoever possesses that mask can rule the world, if you know what to do with it, that is."

"And you're willing to pay us for this one magic item?" asked Uma, "well, fry me up and serve me with tartar sauce. We'll just take a huff of Jet and cruise over to the museum in Auradon City and bust that mask out…"

"It's not in Auradon City," said Adriane, "it's on The Isle of The Lost."

"Excuse me?!" exclaimed Uma loud enough for Harry, Gil and the others teenage pirates to hear.

"You heard me," said Adriane, "the mask is on The Isle. I want you, Harry and Gil to go back to The Isle, take the mask and bring it to me. For this I'll double your pay."

"Uh-uh! No way!" exclaimed Harry, "we finally got off that blasted island prison and now you want us to go back? I'd rather be cooked in a stew and fed to The Croc."

"I'd rather be cooked up as Jambalaya than go back to The Isle," said Uma vindictively.

"I just don't want to go back," said Gil honestly, at which the other teenage pirates nodded in agreement.

"You won't go back to stay," said Adriane, "just to pick up this one important magical item, that's all. But, I can see you lot have no interest in returning from whence you came, which is understandable, The Isle is a hole, after all."

"Glad we're on the same page," said Uma.

"It's a shame, really," said Adriane. She then looked at Harry, "and here I thought you'd want a chance to show up your dear sister Harriet."

At that Harry did a double take and glared at Adriane, "Harriet? What about Harriet?!"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Adriane asked innocently, "your sister's been working on an escape plan for quite a while now, and from what I've heard, it looks like she might actually succeed where so many failed. Yes, Harriet Hook and her crew of rapscallions are going to escape from The Isle of The Lost all on their own with no outside help at all. Oh, and did I mention that Harriet is in possession of the magic item?"

"No, you didn't," said Uma, "how convenient of you." She gestured at Harry and Gil to come over and the three of them had a whispered conversation for several seconds.

"Alright," said Uma as she, Harry and Gil looked at Adriane, "we'll go back to The Isle and get your mask."

"And show Harriet she can't upstage us," said Harry.

"Darn right!" said Gil.

"I'm glad we could come to an understanding," said Adriane.

"We have a few demands first," said Uma, "first of all, we want _triple_ the pay, for all of us. I'd be a sorry captain if I didn't look out for the welfare of my crew."

At that the rest of her crew shouted in agreement.

"Done," said Adriane.

"We also want to go with you to your employers when you give them the mask," said Uma.

"Yes," said Harry, "it's high time we met the ones dolling out the loot."

"Darn right," said Gil.

Adriane hesitated for a few seconds before speaking, "Done. Anything else?"

"I've got nothing else," said Uma. She then looked to her crew, "you guys have anything?"

"Got a pencil?" asked one of the crew, at which the rest of the teenage pirates began shouting their demands.

 _'Offer a rogue enough booty and they'll break their back for you,'_ thought Adriane as she listened to the chaotic cacophony of the young pirates.

 **… _To Be Continued_**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

For the last few hours Mal and Ben paced back and forth in one of the larger classrooms of Auradon prep, waiting for news of their abducted friends. Anyone watching could tell that the two young lovers were in especially foul moods. And it turned out that they were being watched.

"They've been wearing a rut in the floor for a while now," said Carlos as he and Doug watched from one end of the room, "maybe we should say something."

"What can we say?" asked Doug, "they're just as frustrated as everyone else is."

"Yeah, but they can vent their frustration worse than we can," said Carlos as he saw the slight glow in Mal's eyes that reflected her inner anger, while Ben's fists alternated between clenching and trembling with fury and drawing his sword halfway out of its sheath before resheathing it.

Jill then walked in, drawing Ben and Mal's attention. "Anything?" the young monarch asked.

"Nothing yet," said Jill, "we're still waiting for our contact in Heinrich's inner sanctum to get back with us."

"How long does it take for a spy to find something out?!" Mal asked irately as her eyes glowed brighter.

"As long as it takes," said Jill confidently as she looked into Mal's eyes, "remember, our contact is deep undercover with the von Karstein's and will do whatever it takes to maintain that cover. If that means gathering intelligence at a snail's pace, then so be it."

Ben then gave a growl of frustrated disgust, "this is ridiculous! Why am I wasting time waiting!? I should be mobilizing the kingdom for war!"

"I thought we agreed that we weren't going to war," said Doug cautiously, "not yet anyway."

"Well, I have to do something!" said Ben as he hyperventilated with fury, "I can't sit back and wait while that barbarian, Heinrich, does who knows what to my friends!"

"Me neither!" said an equally furious Mal as tendrils of purple smoke rose around her, "we need to do something before they hurt Evie and the others! If that pig, Heinrich, hurts Evie, I'll burn Transdoria to the ground, see if I don't!"

"You'll do no such thing," said Jill calmly.

"Oh yeah?!" asked Mal daringly as more purple smoke appeared around her, while her hands crackled with dark magic, "are you going to stop me?!"

At that Jill gave a mischievous smile, "alright, I will."

Jill inhaled, her body shining with Hamon. Before Mal could react, Jill dashed behind and grabbed her in a Full Nelson hold.

"Are you gonna calm down?" Jill asked as Mal struggled to break free, "are you gonna calm down or not?"

"Let her go!" exclaimed an outraged Ben as he drew his sword, "let her go or I'll run you through!"

Jill did release Mal, only to rush at and grab Ben's sword barehanded, channeling Hamon into the blade.

"The steel in your sword conducts Hamon like electricity through a wire," said Jill confidently while Ben gasped in surprise as Hamon flowed from his sword into his hands, "here's hoping it'll calm you down! METAL SILVER OVERDRIVE!"

Ben cried out as he was blasted to the far side of the room, hitting the wall and collapsing to the floor.

"BEN!" shouted Mal as she rushed over to his side as he struggled to stand up, "Are you…?"

"I'm fine," said Ben as he stood up straight, an astonished look on his face, "I…I'm more than fine. I'm not upset anymore," he looked at Jill, "what did you do to me?"

"Hamon can heal as well as damage," said Jill, "it can also manipulate a living target to some extent. In this case, I slightly altered your brain chemistry, producing endorphins and other calming hormones. Don't ask me to do it again anytime soon, I won't risk permanently harming your mind."

"I won't ask," said a still astonished Ben, "and you know how to do that just by breathing? Teach me! Teach me Hamon!"

"Me too!" said Mal, "I want to learn Hamon!"

"And me!" said Carlos, "we also want to learn Sendo! Teach us to fight like you do!"

"Yes!" said Doug, "please teach us, _Sensei_!"

"No," said Jill flatly, "not right now anyway."

"Why not?" asked Mal, "it's not like we got anything else to do right now."

At that Jill sighed with her own frustration, "look, it takes years to master Hamon and Sendo, decades even. The only reason I'm as well versed in both as I am is because of the living hell Shadowcast put me through when they tried to turn me into a human weapon. I wouldn't dare put you through such horrors."

"Was it really that bad?" asked Ben.

"Worse," said Jill, "because I later learned that Shadowcast, in their demented manner, corrupted the true training methods of Hamon and Sendo. They took what was a discipline for martial arts and enlightenment and twisted it into a thing of evil."

"It couldn't have been that bad, could it?" asked Carlos.

"They started by jabbing my stomach with electrified acupuncture needles to stimulate pressure points," said Jill, "then they forced me to wear a mask that forced me to alter my breathing patterns. The mask is actually part of true Hamon training, but this mask, not only did it cut off my air if I didn't breathe right, it also delivered painful shocks to keep me from passing out. Shadowcast is rather fond of negative reinforcement in their training methods, if you haven't figured it out yet."

"Goodness," said a horrified Ben, while Mal, Carlos and Doug looked equally shocked.

"I wish that was the worst of what they did to me," said Jill, "but it wasn't. I was then thrown into a pit full of industrial lubricant. The walls were too smooth and slippery to climb out. The only way I could escape was to use Hamon to slowly and methodically climb my way up a wide pillar in the center of the pit, which was also dripping with lubricant, all the while still wearing the breathing mask. Oh, did I mention I couldn't take the mask off? My 'handlers' had the key and would only let me take it off to eat. And don't get me started on the horrid excuses for food they made me and the others eat.

"Back with the pit, the original Hamon training helped the student focus his or her channeling of Hamon. Instead of expelling a wasteful amount of energy through the whole hand, the student had to learn how to control their Hamon through their fingertips. You were given as much time as needed to climb the pillar, but you had to risk rushing because the trainers would only pull you out of the pit if you were on the verge of starvation. This was the most serious and profound methods of Hamon training, and Shadowcast ruined it."

"The original sounds horrific enough," said Doug, "how could Shadowcast made it worse?"

"More electric shocks?" asked Mal.

"Worse," said Jill, "not only did they booby trap the pillar with jets of pressurized lubricant that could cut through flesh if not protected by Hamon, they also imposed a time limit. If I didn't get out of the pit within three days, they'd kill my friends. They kidnapped the few friends I had from the orphanage and threatened to slit their throats in front of me if I failed. I could only watch in despair as they killed my friends one by one, until only one was left, and she's so traumatized by what happened…she…she…"

"It's okay, you don't have to talk about it," said Mal in a comforting manner as she walked over and placed her hand on Jill's shoulder, "we'll…we'll talk about something else."

"No, it's alright," said Jill as she wiped a tear from her eyes, "I'm alright. I…let's talk outside, this room is too claustrophobic for my taste."

"I thought the classrooms here were too big," said Carlos as they headed outside, "way bigger than what we had to sit in at Dragon Hall back on The Isle."

"You think that's claustrophobic?" asked Doug, "try working in a diamond mine. My dad still has nightmares sometimes about cave-ins."

They reached the outside commons and saw Chad and Jay chasing after Andrew, the former two arguing with the later.

"I don't get it," said Chad, "why can't you show us how you got your Stand?"

"Because I don't remember how it happened!" snapped Andrew, "not all of it, and the parts I do remember I wish I could forget. How many times do I have to tell you? Shadowcast's demented scientists forced me to undergo nightmarish experiments. I wouldn't make anyone repeat what I went through, ever."

"Well, you said it takes years to fully develop a Stand," said Jay, "we don't have years."

"I know time is of the essence," said Andrew, "but these things can't be rushed, not without extreme risk."

"Whatever the risk, we'll take it," said Jay, while Chad nodded in agreement.

"Well…there is one option," said Andrew, "but it's too dangerous, way too dangerous. Forget I mentioned it."

"No way, man!" said Jay, "tell us! Don't make me beg, because I will."

"I don't beg," said Chad, "but I can do a pretty convincing 'puppy-dog-eyes' routine." At that he looked at Andrew with wide, pleading eyes.

"Okay, that's just disturbing on a teenage boy," said Andrew in an uncomfortable tone, "alright, there is a way to unlock your psychic potential and bring out a fully formed Stand in a hurry. If you're willing to gamble your sanity and risk becoming a raving lunatic for the rest of your life."

"Uhh…" said a visibly shaken Chad, "I think I'll take the years of training if it's alright."

"We don't have that kind of time," said Jay. He then stepped forward, "I'll do it, whatever it is you need to do to me, I'll do it."

"Are you sure?" asked Andrew, "are you absolutely sure? What I have in mind is dangerous, so dangerous that I shouldn't have brought it up. It could leave your mind shattered beyond repair, not to mention the risk to my own already fragile sanity. But the risk is far greater to you, for I'm about to force you deep into your psyche, deep down where the truly evil half of human nature holds sway."

"I don't care about that!" Jay insisted, "I just want to be able to save Lonnie and the others, because I know Lonnie would do the same for me, Evie too."

"What about Jane?" asked Carlos as he and Doug stepped forward, "I know she'd do the same for me."

"And Evie would do the same for me," said Doug. At that he, Jay and Carlos looked at Chad.

"What?" Chad asked.

"Would Audrey do the same for you?" asked Carlos.

"Of course she would!" said Chad, "and I'd do the same for her. What, do you think we're not in love anymore? Of course we are." He then walked up to Andrew, "whatever you're gonna do, do it to me first!"

"Alright," said Andrew, "just close your eyes and relax."

"No problem," said Chad as he sat down and closed his eyes.

"Focus on…wait," said Andrew, "is he…he is! The idiot's asleep!"

True enough, Chad was snoring peacefully.

"He really is a dingbat," said Jill as she, Ben and Mal walked over.

"Yeah," sighed Mal, "but he's kinda our dingbat."

"Well, this is just great," said Andrew, "he spoiled my joke."

"Your joke?" asked Jay irately, "we all but begged on our knees for your help and you were gonna play a joke on us!?"

"Well, yeah, sort of," said Andrew, "I was gonna get you relaxed and lose and then shout 'BOO!' And then I was going to apologize and say that there really is no quick and easy path to obtaining a Stand, not without The Machine anyway."

"Wait, what machine?" asked Carlos.

"It's nothing, never mind," said Andrew, "here comes Saul anyway, with good news I hope."

Everyone turned around and saw Saul jogging towards them, a look of excited anticipation on his face. He stopped and gave Andrew and Jill the thumbs up.

"Our spy in von Karstein's ranks," said Andrew, "he's confirmed; Evie and the others are in von Karstein's castle in Transdoria, The Falcon's Nest."

"Are they alright?" asked Mal anxiously.

"They're safe, for now," said Saul, "but von Karstein is eager to wed your friends to his sons as soon as possible."

"There's no time to waste," said Ben as he looked at Jill, Andrew and Saul, "we've friends to rescue and enemies to punish."

"Darn right we do," said Andrew as he and Ben shook hands.

"Umm…I hate to be picky," said Doug, "but we do have a plan, right?"

"Of course we have a plan!" said Andrew. He then looked at Ben, "right?"

At that Ben hesitated for a few seconds, pondering what to do, before speaking, "we'll take the fastest jet in Auradon to the Transdoria border, cross over as stealthily as we can, approach and assault The Falcon's Nest and take back our friends."

"Sounds easy enough," said Jill, "now we just need to decide who's going. Oh, and we're going to need climbing equipment, a lot of it."

At that Mal and the others walked back to the school to work out the details of the plan, all except for Carlos, whom stayed back to stare at the still sleeping Chad.

"WAKE UP!" shouted Carlos into Chad's ear, startling the son of Cinderella awake.

"Huh?! Wha…what happened?" Chad asked, "did I get my Stand?"

"Not yet," said Carlos, "come on, we've a rescue mission to plan."

* * *

 _…The Isle of The Lost…_

Sammy Smee walked up to Harriet's cabin aboard The Gray Phantom and cautiously knocked on the door.

"Come!" Harried called from within and Sammy Smee opened the door. He found Harriet sitting at a desk against one side of the cabin, holding The Stone Mask in one hand.

"What is it, Mr. Smee?" Harriet asked.

"We've begun loading the last of the supplies, Captain," said Sammy Smee in a cautious tone, while shifting his gaze between Harriet and the mask, "there's some trouble tracking down the spare parts for the desalinization system and Mr. Owen insists on taking more Raritanium."

"We already loaded the spare parts," said Harriet, "and you can tell Mr. Owen that if he wants more Raritanium, he'll have to leave his retro collections on The Isle. Now, baring any other issues, how soon until we're ready to cast off from this accursed island for the final time?"

"At the next high tide, Captain," said Sammy Smee, "in less than six hours."

"Outstanding," said Harriet, "my compliments to the crew." She then raised the mask to her face, "seriously, Mr. Smee, what do you think?"

"I think it's ugly as sin, Captain," said Sammy Smee.

Harriet lowered the mask from her face and frowned at him, "Well, aren't you the little critic, Mr. Smee."

"You asked for my opinion, Captain," said Sammy Smee as he held his hands behind his back.

"I know," said Harriet, "and to tell the truth," she looked at the face of the mask, "I think it's absolutely hideous, like something out of a nightmare. I should throw it overboard and never think about it again, but…there's something about this graven object, Mr. Smee. There's something about it that makes me want to keep it."

"May I offer my opinion again, Captain?" Sammy Smee asked cautiously, "far from me, a lowly sailor, to question his captain, but…"

"Of course you can question me, Mr. Smee," said Harriet as she set the mask down and smiled at him, "unlike my father, I'm not a complete slave to my ego. I value your opinion and want you to speak your mind, so long as it's not a direct challenge to my authority."

"Of course not, Captain," said Sammy Smee, "it's just…"

"Just what, Mr. Smee?" asked Harriet.

"That mask, it's evil," said Sammy Smee, "not the same evil as Maleficent and the other older villains, but pure evil, without rhyme or reason. It exists to spread pain and suffering. I don't know how I know this, but I trust my feelings and my feelings tell me you should destroy it. Not throw it overboard or leave it behind on The Isle, but destroy it."

Sammy Smee then walked up to Harriet and held her hand in his, "I implore you, Captain. As your subordinate and childhood friend, destroy it! Destroy the mask before it destroys you. And if you won't destroy it for your sake, then do it for your crew who believes and trusts you to carry us to a better, brighter future."

For half a moment Harriet was left speechless by Sammy Smee's profound plea. She then looked at the mask and for a heartbeat or two, her eyes were filled with revulsion at the carved object.

But then the mood was shattered when the ship's intercom rang in the room, followed by Anthony Tremaine's voice, "Bridge to Captain Hook!"

"Go ahead, Mr. Tremaine," said Harriet.

"You'd better come up here, Skipper," said Anthony in a serious yet humorous tone, "you've got to see this."

"See what, Mr. Tremaine?" asked Harriet suspiciously.

"Seriously, Skipper," laughed Anthony, "you are not gonna believe this." With that he disconnected the call.

"Of all the nonsense," muttered Harriet as she stood up to leave, but hesitated at the door when she realized she still hand The Stone Mask in her hand. She looked at it for a few seconds, before placing it back in her personal safe and locking it.

"We'll continue this discussion later, Mr. Smee," said Harriet as she straightened her jacket and retrieved her hat, "after we deal with whatever's got Mr. Tremaine in such a tizzy."

"Aye, Captain," said Sammy Smee in a somewhat disappointed and saddened tone. He eyed the safe, glaring through the metal at the thing within he found so horrid.

Both captain and first mate climbed to the bridge and found Anthony and Ginny Gothel at the wheel, giggling with uncontrolled delight.

"This'd better be good, Mr. Tremaine," said Harriet as she looked out the forward-facing glass windows that, when illuminated from within, projected the illusion of monstrous eyes. As far as Harriet could see there was nothing save the exterior of the ship moored at the makeshift docks in the cave.

"I'm serious, Anthony," said Harriet irately, "if you've called me up here for some impractical jape, you'll be scrubbing out the bilges for the rest of your natural life."

"It's not on the bow of the boat, Skipper," said Ginny Gothel, "check astern."

Harriet then heard a tapping on the rear facing windows of the bridge. She turned around and saw to her surprise and irritation not only Uma, Harry and Gil, but also C.J. Hook, the later eagerly tapping on the window.

"Hey, sis!" said the blonde buccaneer eagerly.

"Oh My God!" exclaimed Harriet, "how…what…why?"

"I told you she wouldn't believe it," said Anthony to Ginny. "You owe five gold doubloons!"

"I'll pay you as soon as I actually have five gold doubloons," said Ginny irately.

"Aren't you gonna welcome us aboard, dear sister?!" called Harry from outside.

"Do I have to, Mr. Smee?" Harriet whispered to her loyal subordinate.

"It's proper manners, Captain," Sammy Smee whispered back, "we may be scallywags, but we're far from uncivilized."

Reluctantly, Harriet welcomed her siblings, Uma and Gil aboard The Gray Phantom and took them on a tour of the vessel. She displayed the bridge, galley, crew quarters and engine room. U.N. Owen Jr. was particularly happy to give a drawn out and detailed explanation of the submarine's propulsion system, how he discovered Nemo's notes and used them to construct The Gray Phantom. He also went into extensive detail on how he discovered the deposits of Raritanium and developed the refining process that turned it into fuel for the sub.

"Nemo was truly ahead of his time," said Owen, "but while the power plant for The Nautilus was a primitive yet effective nuclear reactor, my system is far superior. How you might ask? Raritanium is far more stable than processed uranium and leaves very little radioactive waste. The spent fuel can be recycled into more fuel. One kilogram of Raritanium can last for months. When we're ready to go, we'll have enough Raritanium stockpiled to last decades!"

"I think you've lost their attention long ago, Mr. Owen," said a somewhat pleased Harriet as she saw the bored looks on Uma, Harry and C.J., while Gil looked ready to fall asleep. Harriet escorted her relieved guests to the common area. This room, where on The Nautilus it served as Nemo's private sanctum and music area, it now served as a general relaxation area for the whole crew.

"Well, what do you think of my escape plan?" asked Harriet as she opened the view port, giving Uma, Gil, Harry and C.J. a stunning look at the strange fish and plants living beneath the water in the cave.

"It's incredible," said Uma, "it's all incredible. How did you manage to build this ship without anyone knowing about it?"

"And out of Auradon trash no less," said Harry.

"The recycling part was all Mr. Owen's idea," said Harriet, "as for the level of secrecy," she then rolled up her left sleeve to show a small but distinct scar near the elbow, "everyone on the crew made a blood pact to keep their traps shut about the plan. Believe me, everyone on this boat is so eager to leave The Isle, they're more than ready, willing and able to keep the secret, even unto their graves.

"Which brings up the elephant seal in the room; how in the name of Davy Jones' Locker did you four learn about The Gray Phantom?"

"We've got friends in high places," said Uma as she and Harriet sat down at a table, "now let's get to the other elephant seal in the room; why didn't you bring me in on your plan?"

"And me," said Harry, "I'm your brother, however much I'd rather not be."

"I don't mind being your sister," said C.J. as she idly toyed with a piece of preserved coral, "but yeah, you could have told us."

"We would have helped," said Uma, "even Gil would've helped, wouldn't you, Gil?"

"Huh? Oh, right, yeah!" said Gil, whom had been distracted by a fish staring back at him through the view port, "Wait, helped with what?"

"I swear, he gets dumber every day," muttered Uma.

"That's why he's not part of my crew," said Harriet, "I'm surprised you allowed him onto yours, being the mentally deficient liability he his. Everyone on my crew is mentally and physically capable to pulling their weight and handling other responsibilities, with a reasonable amount of malarkey of course, we're only human."

"But I'm not human," said Uma, "but that's beside the point; why didn't you ask me to join you?"

"I see you're angry you were passed over again," said Harriet, "well, I've got two valid reasons I didn't pick you to serve under me. First, you wouldn't serve under me. I know you, Uma. You're a natural leader and wouldn't tolerate serving under someone else. We'd have come to blows the first time you disagreed with one of my orders. Heck, you might even have attempted a mutiny so you could usurp my authority.

"Speaking of usurping authority, you, brother of mine, would also have attempted mutiny. There can be only one Captain Hook aboard one ship at a time. I couldn't allow that.

"Why not?" asked Harry daringly, "could it be that you're afraid I'd have bested you in single combat and made you look like a fool?"

"I admit, you would have and still can best me," said Harriet, "but I still can't allow it. You may have inherited Dad's love of the sea and buccaneer mannerisms, but I got Dad's calculating mind, only I'm not a slave to my ego, like you are.

"As for you, C.J., you're just too irresponsible and immature to serve on my crew. Oh, and Gil's simply too stupid."

"I am not irresponsible!" said C.J. irately, "I almost got away with kidnapping Ben during the Neon Lights Ball, and then during the Jewelbilee me and Zevon almost got away with taking over all of Auradon! We had Mal so messed up, we did!"

"And yet here you are," said Harriet, "and Zevon's still grounded. Why are you here, C.J.? I thought you were doing fine all on your own?"

"Never mind that," said Uma, "Let's get back to what's important here; you don't trust me and I don't trust you, Harriet. Yes, I would have taken over your crew and your boat. With The Gray Phantom under my command, I would have used it to strike terror throughout Auradon and eventually taken over the whole kingdom!"

"That's where we differ, Uma," said Harriet, "which brings us to my other valid reason; you're so obsessed with revenge, and no wonder, growing up with your mother and the older Villains endlessly rambling and ranting about vengeance and the bad old days. Me, I got mad as Hell and decided not to take it anymore.

"My crew and I, we're leaving good. At the next high tide, The Gray Phantom sets sail for the high seas. We're leaving Auradon and never coming back!"

"But you're more than welcome to come with us!" said Sammy Smee as he saw the growing looks of anger on Uma and Harry, "we'll take you anywhere else in the world. You can start over and remake your lives however you wish!"

"Is this true?" Uma asked, "we can go with you when you leave?"

"Yes, as passengers," said Harriet, "free of charge. It'd be worth it to drop you off in some port of call and never have to see your sorry faces again."

"That's a tempting offer," said Harry, "if only to be rid of you once and for all. Unfortunately, we've got unfinished business in Auradon."

"That we do," said Uma, "and we're about to come into quite a large sum of money."

"How large?" Harriet asked.

Harry then whispered something into her ear, to which Harriet leaned back in surprise, "Wow!"

"How much is _'wow!?'_ " exclaimed an exasperated Gil.

"You know, I think I heard rumors over the radio you three were stirring up trouble in Auradon," said Owen, startling Harriet, Sammy Smee, Uma, Gill and Harry.

"You were here the whole time, Mr. Owen?" asked Harriet, "don't scare us like that!"

"My most humble apologies, Skipper," Owen, "anyway," he looked at Uma, Gil and Harry, "you lot are responsible for the rash of pharmaceuticals and electronics burgles, unless I'm mistaken."

"You're not," said Uma, "my crew, we've been offered a lot of booty to steal some stuff for them."

"They must really want those drugs and gizmos to offer you so much in return," said Harriet, "what's the catch?"

"We just have to stop obsessing over Ben and Mal for a while," said Harry as he looked at Uma, "isn't that right?"

"Their time will come," said Uma dryly, "but that's not important right now. Not only are we stealing from Auradon, we've been asked to take something else, something that'll triple the original offer."

"Now that's a pretty big WOW!" said an impressed Harriet, "unfortunately I'll have to pass up on the offer."

"We weren't offering it to you," said Uma, "you have what Adriane wants."

At that Harriet, Owen and Sammy Smee were left dumbstruck for a few seconds, before a blaring klaxon sounded.

"My quarters alarm!" exclaimed Harriet as she rushed out of the room, followed by Sammy Smee and Owen, whom were soon joined by Clay Clayton and several crewmen and women armed with cudgels, knives and assorted small arms.

They found the door to Harriet's quarters ajar, the lock showing signs of crude picking. Harriet kicked the door open and found to her shock and disgust, C.J. attempting to pick the lock of her private safe.

"Come on, open!" muttered C.J. as she tried to open the safe with a small screwdriver and a bobby pin, "open, you stupid thing! Ah-HAH!"

The lock clicked and the safe opened, into which C.J. plunged her hands and pulled out The Stone Mask.

"C.J.!" exclaimed Harriet.

"Oh hey, sis!" said CJ as she put The Stone Mask into a small bag, "sorry I'm in your room without your permission, but Harry, Uma and Gil want this really bad."

"MY MASK!" exclaimed Harriet as she drew her cutlass, "give me my mask, you measly mug of manatee mucus!"

"Eww! No way!" said C.J. as she drew her own cutlass, "there's a lot of money in this thingy, and I'm getting my fair share."

"I'll share you, you brat!" snapped Harriet as she lunged at C.J., whom easily dodged her sister's rage-fueled attack. C.J. slid around Harriet and dashed into the corridor, donning a gas mask in the process.

Just then a bluish green vapor flowed out of the air vents across the ship. Harriet and the rest of her crew began coughing and wheezing, desperate for clean air.

"Poison gas, Captain!" exclaimed Sammy Smee between coughs, "we gotta purge the atmosphere!"

"I'm…on…it!" exclaimed Owen as he took out a key from around his neck, while Harriet and Sammy Smee took out identical keys. They barely managed to crawl out to the corridor, opened a hidden panel and inserted their eyes into three locks. With their last ounce of strength, they turned the keys and several green lights on the panel lit up.

A fierce wind blew through The Gray Phantom, sucking out the poison gas and replacing it with fresh air.

Harriet and her crewmates lay gasping on the floor for several seconds, grateful for the clean oxygen filling their lungs. Finally, Harriet pulled herself up, then dragged Sammy Smee and Owen up as well.

"Check on the crew," said Harriet, "and check to see if anything else was taken. I'm going."

"Going where, Captain?" asked Sammy Smee.

"After my thief of a sister," said Harriet as she stumbled to another hidden panel. She took out another key, unlocked the panel and took out a rifle made out of recycled wood and metal bits. "Same goes for my thief of a brother, that idiot thief Gil and that thieving shrimp, Uma, and anyone else associated with them," said Harriet as she loaded her pipe rifle, "I'm gonna kill them. No torture, not taunting, I'm just gonna kill them."

* * *

 _…outside…_

"Is it safe to take our masks off?" Gil asked.

"No, you're gonna have to wear it for the rest of your life," said Uma, "of course you can take it off!"

"No let him leave it on," said Zevon, "he looks rather rudeiculous with it."

"You know, I'm glad we managed to break you out of detention, Zevon," said C.J. as she, her brother, Uma, Gil and Zevon, stood on the rocky beach outside the cave, "and I'm glad you used those potions of yours on the sub's air system, but seriously, stop using made up words!"

"I do not use made up words!" exclaimed Zevon, "are you insonguating my grammary?"

"You have to have a sense of words to be insulted first," said Uma, "look, we've got Adriane's stupid mask."

"And some of that weird stuff Owen made for the sub," said Gil as he and Harry held up knapsacks bulging with weight.

"She didn't ask for that stuff," said Uma, "that Rare whatever it is."

"She might pay us extra for it," said Harry.

"This is true," said Uma, "and if not, maybe we can find a use for it. Anyway," she pulled out a small transmitter device and flipped the switch on it. A red light on the device began beeping, "she'll be here to pick us up in a minute or two, so we just gotta sit tight and wait."

"And hope my sister and her crew doesn't come after us," said Harry.

"Impossiblion!" said Zevon, "that knockout potion has them all sleepaling like baby llamas after their midnight shuckling!"

"And this is why you never had any friends in school," said C.J.

"UUUUUMMMMMAAAAA!" exclaimed Harriet as she stumbled out of the cave, "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"she cocked her rifle and fired.

The bullet missed Uma by several feet but made her flinch back. Uma drew her ball and cap pistol, while Harry, Gil and C.J. drew their cutlasses.

"So it's come to this, then," said Uma as she aimed her pistol at Harriet, while Harriet kept her pipe rifle trained on Uma, "we're gonna shoot each other?"

"Whoa! Take it easy, Uma!" said C.J. as Harriet stepped closer. "We don't have to…"

"Shut up, brat!" snapped Harriet, "you'll get yours soon enough! Now give back my mask and maybe, maybe, I'll calm down enough to spare your miserable life! After I kill Uma of course."

"You and what army?" asked Uma.

At that Anthony, Ginny, Clay and the rest of Harriet's crew all stumbled out of the cave, all armed to the teeth with recycled guns made from wood and pipes, all eager to shed blood.

"This army," said Harriet, "you and your thieving cohorts, Uma, you've got nowhere to run!"

"We're well inside The Barrier," said Claudine Frollo, "you can't use any magic. If you run, we'll gun you down. If you fight, we'll gun you down."

But then a VTOL craft dove down through the barrier and hovered just behind Uma and her fellows. The craft then fired several canisters of teargas at Harriet and crew, just as the wind shifted to blow the noxious vapors right in their faces.

"Like I said," remarked a delighted Uma as she watched Harriet and her crew fall down, coughing for air, "I have friends in high places."

The side of the VTOL craft opened and lowered several ropes, which Uma, Harry, Gil, Zevon and C.J. used to climb aboard.

"Damn you, Uma!" gasped Harriet as the VTOL craft turned around and flew through the temporary opening in the barrier, "Damn you and all your cohorts!"

* * *

"Wow! That was like so awesome!" said C.J. as she and the others sat in the cargo area of the VTOL craft, "we really showed Harriet who's the baddest of them all, right?"

"We sure did," said Uma as she picked up the sack with The Stone Mask, "so, you enjoyed yourself, C.J.?"

"Duh! You know I did!" said C.J.

"Good," said Uma, "because it's the last time we'll have fun together."

"What?" asked a confused C.J., just as Harry and Gil picked her up and threw her out the open door of the VTOL craft. C.J. screamed in terror as she fell and splashed into the open ocean.

Zevon then fell to the floor in a fit of hysterical laughter.

"You think that was funny?" asked Harry, "that was my sister we just betrayed!"

"Of course it was humuriously!" said Zevon as he calmed down enough to stand up, "I knew all along you were gonna betray her, more monies for the rest of us."

"Uh, no," said Gil as he and Harry grabbed Zevon, "sorry, dude, but you're getting betrayed too."

"What?! NO!" exclaimed Zevon as he was forced to the edge of the open door, "I helped you guys! You need me!"

"No, we don't," said Uma as she kicked Zevon out the door. She, Harry and Gil watched Zevon as he fell and splashed into the water below.

"Well done, you three," said Adriane as she emerged from the cockpit, "well done."

"Is this another of your astral projections?" asked Uma, "or have you finally graced us with your physical presence."

"I had to come in person," said Adriane, "to make sure you have the desired item. Let me see it!"

"Here," said Uma as she handed the sack to Adriane, whom grabbed it out of her hands and tore it open.

"It's just a crummy old mask," said Gil as Adriane examined The Stone Mask, "and really ugly. I don't get it what's so special about it."

"And well you shouldn't," said Adriane, "Trust me, my young scallywag friends, this mask is without a doubt, the key to all our fortunes!"

* * *

 _…The Falcon's Nest…_

"'Try not to escape again,' my eye!" exclaimed Audrey as she, Evie, Jane and Lonnie, searched their rooms for a way out, "no way are we not escaping! Ain't that right, girls?"

"Darn right!" said Lonnie, "believe me, I have no desire to stay here any longer than I have to."

"I just hope we leave soon," said Jane in a somewhat distant tone, "I'm getting hungry, and a little bit thirsty."

"Did you drink straight from the faucet like we planned?" asked Audrey.

"Yes," said Jane, "and I haven't touched any of the food they've brought us," she looked at the table where four dishes lay, only three of which were empty.

"If that maid Marie asks, say you've got 'pre-wedding jitters' or an upset stomach or something," said Audrey, "maybe she'll go get a doctor or something and they'll let you out to see another doctor or something."

"Audrey, you're grasping at straws," said Evie.

"So what if I am?" asked Audrey, "at least I'm keeping myself busy. I hope Marie does show up again, so I can slap that sniveling little coward!"

"It's not her fault she's scared," said Evie, "she's…I mean, you'd be scared to if you had to choose between a terrible job or get drafted." Evie almost told about the note she found from Marie, or rather, she hoped it was from Marie. For all Evie knew it was a trap set by Claudette or Stefan or one of his brothers, or even Heinrich von Karstein.

Evie put it out of her mind as she continued her search, checking once again the windows for a means to open them. Yet try as she would, she found no way to unlock the windows.

But then something caught her eye, something that almost made her slap herself for missing something so obvious.

"Is that a bobby pin?" Evie asked as she walked over to something shining beneath a table lamp.

"It is a bobby pin!" exclaimed Lonnie as she, Audrey and Jane hurried over to where Evie was holding up said item, "how'd we'd miss it?"

"I…don't know," said a thoughtful and confused Evie, "I swear it wasn't there before."

"Maybe we just missed it," said Jane, "we're all stressed out, so we just overlooked it, that's all."

"We've all but tore the room apart, Jane!" said an annoyed Audrey, "no way we could have missed it! And bobby pins don't just appear on their own!"

"I don't care how it got here," said Lonnie, "we can pick the lock on the door."

"No, the lock's too big," said Evie as she and the others looked at the door, "we'd need something else to turn the tumblers, like a screwdriver or something…" she then walked back to the windows, "but these locks are just the right size for a bobby pin."

"You have experience with picking window locks?" Audrey asked, "what am I saying? Of course, you have experience."

"Not now, Audrey," said Evie as she bent the pin to fit into the lock, "I need to concentrate."

"Could you concentrate faster?" asked Jane, "I'm really getting hungry."

"How much longer until your magic comes back?" asked Lonnie.

"I still can't feel it," said Jane.

"Then don't eat anything," said Lonnie, "we have to assume that anything they give us has that anti-magic gunk in it."

"I promise as soon as we get home," said Evie, "I'll treat you to whatever you want at the most expensive restaurant in Auradon! Oh…wait a second…got it!"

The lock gave and Evie pushed the window open. The girls were greeted by a cold fog that slowly drifted in.

"I don't care how cold and wet it is," said a smiling Lonnie, "that's freedom, girlfriends!"

"Okay then, who goes first?" asked Evie.

"Thanks for volunteering," said Audrey. She then saw the looks Evie, Lonnie and Jane gave her, "what? I'm not going out there in that fog? Not only is all that humidity murder on my hair, it's simply too dangerous. I could slip and fall, or worse, get lost and fall off the edge."

"Well, it doesn't look like it's clearing any time soon," said Lonnie. She then walked to the room designated as her bedchamber, removed the covers on her bed and began tearing the sheets.

"At least our rooms have their own linen closet," said Jane as she opened said linen closet and pulled out more sheets.

"You know these are really expensive sheets," said Evie as she, Jane, Audrey and Lonnie tore the cloths to make ropes, "I mean, really, really expensive."

"I hope Heinrich gets stuck with the bill," said Audrey.

It wasn't long before two ropes were made.

"Alright, I'm gonna go out and look around," said Evie as she tied one end of the rope around her waist and the other around a table leg.

"I'm coming with you," said Lonnie as she secured the other rope to the table, "if there's a way to climb down, we'll find it."

"Just be careful," said a worried Jane, "I hate to be the one to tell Jay and Doug the bad news." She then sniffed the air, "what's that?" she sniffed again, "is that the vanilla scented shampoo you got for your birthday, Audrey?"

"Why, yes it is," said Audrey, "And no, you can't borrow it when we get home."

"Oh, I prefer my own shampoo," said Jane as she got closer to Audrey, "it just smells so nice, so…delicious."

"Uh…thanks," said a disturbed Audrey as Jane got even closer and began smelling her hair.

"We'd better find that way down before Jane decides to eat her," said Lonnie.

"Right," said Evie. With that she and Lonnie climbed out onto the roof and carefully navigated through the fog.

"It's so thick, I can't see anything!" said Lonnie as she and Evie held hands to keep from separating.

"I think we should wait until it clears," said Evie, "oh wow…I feel so…so lightheaded."

"Me too," said Lonnie, "the air is so thin…and cold and…wait, I think it's clearing…yes, it's clearing!"

The mist parted briefly and a ray of sunlight fell on the two girls. What they next saw they would later claim scared ten years off their lives.

Not only were Evie and Lonnie mere inches from the roof edge, they looked out onto a sheer drop.

Lonnie then slipped and nearly went over the edge. Evie barely grabbed her in time as more of the mist parted.

"It's not fog," said Evie as she and Lonnie looked around, "it's a cloud! We're up in the sky!"

In fact, they were on the roof of a tower. One of many jutting out from a massive castle perched on an escarpment over ten-thousand feet straight up.

"We're gonna need a longer rope," said Lonnie, "we're gonna need a really, really longer rope."

"What we need is to figure out how we got here in the first place," said Evie, "what's that over there?"

She and Lonnie carefully navigated across the roof to get a better look at the rest of the castle. They saw a flat area where several VTOL craft were parked.

"I'll bet my entire Fall collection we were brought here on one of those," said Evie. "Now all we have to do is figure out how to steal one."

"We've got something else to figure out," said Lonnie, "how to fly one of those things."

Just then Evie felt her rope tugging, then Lonnie felt her rope tugging as well.

"I think they want our attention," said a worried Lonnie, "we'd better go back."

"Yeah," agreed Evie as she and Lonnie hurried back to the open window, only to hear Jane and Audrey scream in terror. For a few seconds Lonnie and Evie waited, then panicked as something strong pulled them back towards the window, something that turned out to be several Transdorian bodyguards.

Evie and Lonnie barely managed to untie themselves from the ropes before they were pulled close enough to the window for the bodyguards to grab them.

"RUN!" shouted Evie as she and Lonnie scrambled across the roof. Evie glanced back to see the bodyguards climbing out the window and chasing after them.

The two girls dashed from one section of the roof to another, sighting another open window on another tower. But they stopped and had to run when more bodyguards jumped onto the roof and began chasing.

For several minutes Evie and Lonnie ran across the roof of the castle, staying one step ahead of the increasing number of Transdorian bodyguards, until Evie slipped and slid towards the edge. Lonnie dove to grab Evie's hand but it was too late and Evie fell off the roof.

For what seemed like an eternity Evie fell towards the ground thousands of feet below and her life flashed before her eyes: her youth on The Isle of The Lost; becoming friends with Mal, Jay and Carlos; arriving in Auradon; her brief and disastrous relationship with Chad; her more successful friendship with Doug; becoming a rising star in the fashion industry and everything else leading up to her falling off the roof.

But then something caught her after she had fell only a few seconds. Evie felt startled relief and gratitude towards whoever caught her, but those feelings turned to disgusted despair when she realized she was in the arms of Gustav von Karstein.

"I knew you'd fall for me eventually," said Gustav smugly.

"Ugh! As if!" exclaimed Evie as she tried to free herself from his arms, "let me go, you pig!"

"You got her, brother of mine!?" asked Karl von Karstein from above, holding a struggling Lonnie by one hand.

"Yep, no harm done, bro," said Gustav, "let's get our wayward brides back inside!"

"I'd rather take my chances with gravity than go with you!" shouted Evie, "I mean it! Let me go!"

"No chance," said Gustav as he carried an uncooperative Evie back inside, "Don't you see, Princess Evie? We're perfect for each other!"

"You're nuts!" said Evie as Gustav carried her through the castle corridors, not upstairs, but further downstairs. She unsuccessfully struggled as he carried her into a large medical laboratory. Already there was Karl holding an irate Lonnie, while Wilhelm and Frederic had forced Audrey and Jane to sit down.

Also there in the lab was Claudette, looking very unhappy and somewhat worried as she looked at the four captive girls, "I told you not to escape again!" she said, "you're just asking for trouble!"

"We'll now they're gonna get it," said Wilhelm and Frederic together.

"Our future brides have been rather naughty," said Frederic in a sadistically eager tone.

"Naughty girls need to be punished," said Wilhelm in an equally cruel tone mixed with delight.

"I should have warned you two about the twins," said Claudette to Audrey and Jane, "they're the most uncivilized of the bunch. You'll have your work cut out for you to cure them of their sadistic savagery."

"And take all the fun out of life?" asked Wilhelm.

"I THINK NOT!" said both twins at the same time.

"I think we should take them to our little playroom," said Frederic, "that's where we keep our favorite toys."

"A few hours with our toys and you'll soon learn to appreciate us," said Frederic.

"Uh…do we want to know what kind of toys they play with?" Jane asked.

"No, you don't," said Claudette as she touched left arm with her right hand, "you really don't."

"Oh, don't spoil things for them, dear sister-in-law," said Frederic, "that's our job."

"You two can play with your fiancées all you want," said Gustav, "but leave mine alone!"

"And mine!" said Karl as he clutched Lonnie close to her, "but I must agree, they need to be punished. I think a good spanking is in order."

"You can't be serious!" said an outraged and somewhat embarrassed Lonnie, "no way are you spanking us!"

"My parents never spanked me when I was little," said Audrey.

"Did you obey your parents when you were little?" Karl asked.

"Well…yes," said Audrey.

"Then you'd better learn to obey us," said Gustav, "yes a good spanking is in order for the four of you."

"Oh, that's real mature of you," said an annoyed Stefan as he walked over, flanked by a doctor and two nurses carrying cloth-covered trays, "my brothers, my juvenile, infantile brothers. No wonder it's taken Father this long to find you four suitable brides."

"LOOK WHO'S TALKING!" exclaimed both Wilhelm and Frederic.

"I seem to remember you as a child pulling more pranks than the rest of us combined, big brother," said Gustav, "wasn't it you who poured blue ink in Father's tea that one time? And then there was the time you switched the sugar in the kitchens with salt. Do I have to go on? Or do I have to tell your future sisters-in-laws about some of your more colorful exploits?"

"I was a different person then," said Stefan, "I was…less mature. Getting married helped me settle down. I only hope your brides have the same effects on you."

"We're not marrying your brothers," said Evie, "not if we can help it." At that Jane, Audrey and Lonnie nodded in defiant agreement.

"You have no choice," said Stefan, "Father has scoured the world for the most suitable brides for my brothers and you four are it, and resisting will only make things more difficult than they already are. Oh, you four are so lucky my father is otherwise occupied. If he found out you tried to escape, he'd give you a chastisement that'd leave a permanent mark."

"Is that what we're here for?" asked Lonnie, "you're gonna torture us in this room?"

"Good heavens, no!" said the doctor, "this is no dungeon, it's the castle infirmary! Oh, I apologize, I'm Dr. Lime, physician to the von Karstein family. These are my lovely assistants, Inga and Olga."

"Pleased to meet you," said the two nurses as they both curtsied.

"Which is which?" asked Jane.

"Doesn't matter," said Dr. Lime, "they're interchangeable. Now, which of you is first?"

One of the nurses placed her tray on a table and pulled off the cloth, revealing eight syringes, four full of blue fluid, the other four orange fluid.

"Ah…what are those?" a visibly uncomfortable Audrey asked.

"Just some immunity boosting shots and fertility enhancers," said Dr. Lime, "they're perfectly safe, especially for healthy young ladies like yourselves. But you can never be too healthy and fertile, especially when one wishes to have lots of healthy children."

"You're insane!" said Evie, "all you, you're all out of your minds!"

"What some view as insanity is perfectly logical for another," said Claudette, "you'll come to understand our way of reason in due time."

"There is no way you're sticking me with those things!" Lonnie.

"Me neither," said Jane, "and especially not Audrey, she hates needles!"

"I didn't know that," said Evie as she saw just how afraid Audrey was.

"Oh, she's been scared of them since forever," said Lonnie.

"In that case she can go first," said Dr. Lime, "so she can see just how easy the shots are."

"No!" exclaimed Audrey as Wilhelm dragged her over, "NO! I HATE NEEDLES! I HATE NEEDLES!" she struggled against Wilhelm's grip but it was too strong. She kicked him in the shin but ignored it. But then Audrey kicked him as hard as she could in the gonads, earning a squeal of pain from the oversized boy. He released Audrey as he clutched at his assaulted crotch.

"RUN, AUDREY!" shouted Lonnie as she, Jane and Evie struggled against their captors, "RUN!"

Audrey dashed for the door, only to slam into and bounce off of Heinrich von Karstein. She landed hard on the floor and looked up at Heinrich with terrified eyes.

"What's all this now?" Heinrich asked as he helped Audrey up, then pulled her back over to the others, "what's all the ruckus? I thought my future in-laws were due for their checkup."

"She kicked me, Father!" whined Wilhelm as he leaned against the wall with one hand, the other on his sore privates, "she kicked me in the nads!"

"Is that so?" asked Heinrich. He then looked at Audrey, "now why did you do that?"

"He…he…I hate needles," said a terrified Audrey.

"We're not getting those stupid shots," said Evie, "and we're not marrying your sons."

"It's only a matter of time before Ben and the others back home come for us," said Lonnie, "so save yourself a boat load of trouble and just let us go."

"Oh, I know the pup and his friends will come for you," said Heinrich, "in fact, I'm counting on it. Now…"

"They tried to escape, Father!" said Frederic, "those two," he pointed at Evie and Lonnie, "they went out onto the roof!"

"It's true, Father," said Gustav, "I don't know how they got a window open, but they did. We're lucky we caught them before one of them fell off and died."

"That's right, we tried to escape," said Evie proudly, "and we'll try again, and again, as many times as necessary."

"We'll have to do something about that then, won't we?" said Heinrich, "but first," he then backhanded Wilhelm hard across the face, knocking him down, "that's for being weak, boy!"

"Yes…Father," said Wilhelm miserably as he felt where Heinrich struck him.

"As for you, young lady," said Heinrich to Audrey, "if you're going to be part of this family, you're going to have to learn how to take your medicine. Dr. Lime?"

"Yes, Count von Karstein," said Dr. Lime, "Inga? Olga?"

"Yes, Dr. Lime!" said both nurses. They then grabbed Audrey and, despite her protests and resistance, restrained her to a nearby examination table, while Dr. Lime prepared one of the syringes.

"And as for our wayward brides to be," said Henrich as he glared at Lonnie and Evie, ignoring Audrey's terrified scream as Dr. Lime injected her with the orange-filled syringes, then prepared one of the blue ones.

"As for you," continued Heinrich, "a lesson needs to be taught. You young ladies need to know the price of defying me. Take Her!"

Several bodyguards grabbed Jane and began tearing off her clothes.

"What are you doing?!" exclaimed Lonnie as she and Evie tried to free themselves from Karl and Gustav, "let her go!"

"Oh, I was so hoping you'd do this, Father!" said Frederic with sadistic glee, "may I use The Cat?"

"No, Frederic," said Heinrich, "not after the last time."

"You were rather over enthusiastic, dear brother," said Gustav, "it'd be in rather poor taste for you to whip your fiancée to death before you even get to the bridal suite."

"Whipping?!" exclaimed Audrey, ignoring the second injection as she saw to her shock and horror Jane secured to a metal frame by leather straps, while another bodyguard brought in a long wooden case. Heinrich opened it, revealing a cat o' nine tails.

"Now I know you're mad!" said Evie, "I just had to be sure!" She then saw the pleading look Claudette was giving Stefan, whom responded with a stern headshake, but relented when he looked into her eyes.

"Uh…Father," said Stefan, "might this be a somewhat extreme lesson to imprint on the girls? Wouldn't a statement be just as effective as a manifesto?"

"This is no manifesto, my son," said Heinrich as he picked up the cat o' nine tails and gave an experimental flick of the lashes against the wall, "this is punishment."

"But she didn't try to escape," said Stefan, "she merely held the rope."

"Which is precisely why she needs this level of punishment," said Heinrich, "and why the others must watch," he then looked at Lonnie, Evie and Audrey as they were forced to sit nearby, "and you will watch and remember. Now, how many lashes? Let's start with twenty for refusing the injections, plus thirty for partaking in the escape plan. Oh, and another twenty for Wilhelm's assaulted manhood. And add another ten for my bad mood."

"Eighty lashes, my Count?" asked Dr. Lime, "that's a lot of damage to repair. Might I suggest you not use The Cat?" He then flinched at Heinrich's glare, "I mean…she will have to appear in public, and you know how women's fashions change."

"I hear backless dresses are becoming popular again, my Count," said one of the nurses.

"It wouldn't be in good taste to have one of your daughters-in-law parading about with such extensive scars on her back," said Claudette, "of course, it's your decision, my Count."

At that Heinrich seemed deep in thought for several seconds that seemed like an eternity to Evie and her friends.

"Oh…very well," Heinrich said finally, "let her lose."

Evie and her friends sighed with relief, but none were more relieved than Jane as she was released from the whipping frame.

"Bring her over!" said Heinrich, startling Evie and the others.

Jane, still terrified but also confused, was brought close to Henrich and forced to sit down with both hands flat on a table.

"I'm curious," said Heinrich as he placed the cat o' nine tails back in its box, "which of your hands do you use for magic?"

"I…I'm not supposed to use magic," said Jane, "it's against the rules back home."

"But you do use magic," said Heinrich as he walked over to a nearby tray of medical instruments.

"Yes, a little," said Jane, "I use both hands for it."

"Alright then," said Henrich as he picked up a heavy-looking instrument, "which hand do you use to write?"

"My right," said Jane. Jane then screamed in agony and Heinrich slammed the instrument several times against her left hand, breaking her fingers and several other bones and leaving her hand an overall bruised and bloody mess.

"She can wear gloves in public," said Heinrich coldly as he tossed the instrument aside and walked out with his bodyguards.

Horrified and outraged, Evie, Jane and Lonnie could only look at Jane as she sobbed with agony, not even caring that Wilhelm and Fredrich giggled with sadistic glee, nor did they notice the pair of mismatched eyes watching them from within the lab walls.

* * *

 _…Auradon City Airport…_

"FAIRY GODMOTHER!" exclaimed Belle.

Mal looked and saw Fairy Godmother collapse onto the airport tarmac. She, Ben, Jay, Carlos, Doug and Chad, as well as Andrew, Jill and Saul, were preparing to board the kingdom's fastest jet to travel to Transdoria.

"What happened?" asked Beast as he hurried over.

"Jane…" gasped Fairy Godmother, "she…she's in pain, such terrible pain!"

"What's going on?" asked Carlos, "what about Jane!?"

"I…I'm alright," said Fairy Godmother as Belle, Beast and Ben helped her stand up, "but for a moment, I could feel what Jane was feeling."

"How do you know?" Carlos asked.

"Must be mother's intuition," said Doug, "or maybe magic, I don't know."

"It was magic," said Fairy Godmother, "Jane's magic. She must have instinctively used her powers to call out to me."

"A magical SOS," said Mal.

"Yes," said Fairy Godmother, "and I heard it; my daughter is in agony; Heinrich von Karstein, he hurt her."

"The bastard!" snapped Phillip as he, Aurora and Mulan, followed by several black-suited servants, walked over, "if he's hurting my daughter, I'll kill him!"

"No, Phillip, _we'll_ kill him," said Aurora.

" _You_ will?" asked Saul.

"Of course she will," said Jill, "it's a mother's duty to come to her daughter's rescue if she's in trouble. I know I'd drop whatever I was doing if I knew my girls were being tortured by a psychopath."

"I know, but…but…" said Saul.

"But what?" asked Aurora, "because I'm a princess, I can't go on a rescue mission?" she motioned to one of the servants, whom brought over a wooden case.

"I spent the first sixteen years of my life in a forest," said Aurora as she opened the case, pulling out a crossbow and a quiver of bolts, "not all the animals in the forest were friendly. Trust me, I can take care of myself."

"So can I," said Mulan as one of the servants handed to her the Fa family sword, which she sheathed and strapped around her waist, while Phillip prepared a new sword and shield similar to the ones he used when he fought Maleficent many years ago.

"Swords and crossbows are good, your highness," said Andrew, "but we'll be dealing with more than disposable bodyguards once we invade Transdoria."

"This isn't an invasion," said Ben as he, Mal, Jay, Carlos and Chad took up their swords, while Doug hefted a dwarven ax, "we're going in, grab our friends and get out, hopefully without drawing Auradon into an all-out war."

"I know and I respect that," said Andrew, "I want as little blood spilt and possible, but this is Shadowcast that von Karstein has teamed up with. If I'm right, and I hope I'm wrong with all my heart, then Heinrich is building an army of inhuman abominations that'll take more than swords and crossbow bolts to take down."

"Your Stand and Jill's Hamon," said Mal.

Andrew nodded before continuing, "but sometimes even psychic abilities and mystical martial arts isn't enough."

"How are psychic abilities and mystical martial arts not enough?" Belle asked.

"Ma'am, we're about to be fighting creatures created out of man's worst nightmares," said Saul, "I'll use whatever weapons I could get to give me the edge. Which is why we have these," he then opened a case, revealing two .45 pistols, three .38 revolvers and a massive pistol with an 18" barrel.

"Backup weapons for close quarters," said Jill as she and Saul took each a pistol and revolver, while Andrew took the third revolver and larger pistol. "Personally I'm not all that fond of guns, but some abominations require specific stopping power."

"And you need something like that for stopping power?" a slightly exasperated Carlos asked as he eyed Andrew's massive pistol.

"This, my friend," said Andrew as he checked the slide on his pistol, "is the Widley .475 magnum. Yeah, it seems like overkill, but when you're facing down a mutated monstrosity as big as a mountain troll and twice as ornery, you'll want all the stopping power you can get."

"Shesh, what next?" asked Jay, "a rocket launcher?"

"Why, you have one?" asked Andrew eagerly.

"Easy, tiger," said Jill, "let's just go before you decide to go get a rocket launcher."

"It'd be nice to have one though," said Andrew as Ben, Mal and the others said goodbye to Belle and Beast, before boarding the jet with Mulan, Aurora and Phillip.

"Uh…quick question," said Carlos, "who's flying this thing?"

"I am," said Ben, "I got my pilot's license for my 15th birthday."

"Well, you're just full of surprises," said Jill.

Our heroes then secured their gear and taken their seats, while Mal sat in the copilot's seat next to Ben.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Mal asked as Ben went through the preflight checklist.

"As sure as I'm sure about flying into enemy territory and risk starting a war," said Ben, "but it's got to be done, no way am I letting our friends go without a fight."

"Darn right we'll fight," said Mal, "just hold on, Evie. You too, Jane, Lonnie, Audrey, we're coming."

* * *

 _…The Falcon's Nest…_

"We just need to hold on," said Evie as she paced back and forth in their rooms, which had been doubly secured on all the locks and new bars fixed to the windows, "Mal, Ben and the others are coming."

"Yeah, coming into a trap," said Audrey as she sat next to a whimpering Jane, whom cradled her bandaged left hand.

"They'll come, I know they'll come," said Evie as she felt a sore spot on her arm where Dr. Lime injected her with the two shots.

"And get killed," said Audrey.

"Why are you so negative?" Lonnie asked as she too rubbed a sore spot on her arm, "at least have hope."

"What hope is there?" asked Audrey irately as she stood up, "you heard von Karstein; he's counting on our friends to come. He's planning on it and he's gonna wipe them out!"

"We don't know that!" said Lonnie, "von Karstein's just messing with us."

"Why would he do that?" Audrey asked.

"Because he's a lunatic, that's why!" said Lonnie, "look what he did to Jane!"

"Please leave me out of this," said Jane, "I just want to feel miserable."

"Well, I'm not gonna give up!" said Lonnie, "and I'm not gonna let the rest of you give up either! Now come on and help me find a way out of here!"

"Oh wake up already, Lonnie!" snapped Audrey as she stood up, "it's not like some magical doorway back to Auradon is gonna appear by wishing for it! We're stuck here and there's no way out!" she then vented her frustration by overturning a table, then grabbing her chair and smashing it against the wall. She then went to one of the bedrooms and began destroying it.

"Let her have it out," said Evie to Lonnie, "sometimes you just need to wreck something.

"Yeah, and keep her from wrecking us," said Lonnie.

After several minutes of her tirade, Audrey still wasn't satisfied with one demolished bedroom, so she went to another, the same with the von Karstein family portrait.

"I hate them!" she said as she glared at the painting, "I hate the whole stupid family!" She threw a bottle of perfume at the painting, "I hate Heinrich! I hate his sons! And I hate Helena for not being here to stop them!" she then grabbed the painting and tried to pull it off the wall, but it wouldn't budge.

"Mind if we help?" Lonnie asked as she and Evie walked up, while Jane stood in the doorway cradiling her wounded hand.

"Knock yourself out," said Audrey. With that the three girls pulled with all their might, yet the painting remained fixed to the wall.

"What'd they do? Weld the darn thing?" asked Audrey as she looked at the side of the painting, then beat her fist against it in frustration, and triggering a hidden switch in the process.

The painting swung open, revealing a secret passage in the wall.

"Audrey, I could kiss you," said Lonnie as she, Evie, Audrey and Jane stared into the dimly-lit passage.

"Don't thank me yet," said Audrey, "we don't even know where this goes."

"Only one way to find out," said Evie as she climbed into the passage, "you coming?"

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," said Lonnie as she followed Evie, "you coming too, Audrey?"

"And leave Jane by her lonesome, no way!" said Audrey as she helped Jane sit down on the bed, "best of luck to you, though."

"I feel like we'll need all the luck we can get," said Evie as she and Lonnie walked deeper into the secret passage.

 _…To Be Continued_


	6. Chapter 5

_Before we get started, I would like to humbly apologize for my long absence. My personal life has been highly chaotic for months now and it's only now when I've had a chance to catch my breath and get more writing done. I'll try to keep a regular posting schedule but no promises, especially for the rest of the summer. Hopefully things will calm down by September. But enough of that, on with the show!_

 **Chapter 5**

For what seemed like hours yet only a few minutes, Evie and Lonnie wandered the secret passage. It didn't take them long to realize that the passage was one part of a network of hidden corridors in the walls of The Falcon's Nest. The passage they entered from their chambers branched off into several dimly lit hallways.

"You want me to say it, or can I?" Lonnie asked after she and Evie came to a dead end.

"No, I'll say it," sighed Evie, "we're lost."

"Well, our situation hasn't improved that much," said Lonnie, "we'll either starve or dehydrate long before anyone finds us."

"We're not that lost," said Evie, "I mean, it's a castle, how many hidden corridors can it have?"

"You saw how big the castle is," said Lonnie, "That's a lot of crawl spaces and secret compartments. So yeah, we're gonna either starve or dehydrate in here."

"You're giving up way too early," said Evie, "we'll find a way out. Besides, someone might find us. Just look how clean this corridor is." She indicated the lack of cobwebs and how little dust there were. "Someone's regularly using these corridors."

"You're right," said Lonnie as she touched part of the wall. She was surprised when a small slit opened, revealing a room in the castle proper.

"Spy ports," said Evie as she leaned up to the slit, finding it just the right size for someone to look out, "I'll bet there's one for every room in the castle. They must have put them in when they first built the castle."

"Yeah, they probably didn't have hidden cameras and microphones back then," said Lonnie sarcastically. "I'll bet the von Karstein's used the ones in our rooms to spy on us. If they are, I'll make them regret it!"

They continued onward until they reached another dead end, only this one was different, the wall had a doorknob.

"What do you think?" asked Evie, "should we try it?"

"I see no reason why not," said Lonnie, "unless it opens up into Heinrich's private bathroom or something like that."

"I so did not need that image in my brain," said Evie as she grasped the doorknob and turned it.

The wall swung forward and the two girls climbed out of the corridor. They found themselves in a brightly lit set of rooms decorated with hundreds of hand-drawn pictures. One could look from one side of the rooms to the other and watch as the artist's skill matured from childish stick figures and finger-paints to watercolors and oils of landscapes and still life's.

But then Evie and Lonnie saw an entire wall of paintings of Helena von Karstein surrounding a recreation of the von Karstein family portrait. The smaller images of Helena showed her in various settings and poses; Helena on a balcony, Helena picking flowers, Helena on horseback, while next to Helena in the family portrait was a girl of about 6 years with plain brown hair, an ordinary face with slightly crooked teeth showing through a large smile and mismatched gray and brown eyes.

"Now we know what made Helena so happy," said Lonnie.

"And what made Heinrich so sour," said Evie as she looked closer at the portrait, "he had a daughter he didn't like, and no wonder. Heinrich's a man who values perfection and the superiority of his family. That girl, compared to his sons, she must be a dissa…oh my gosh! I think I know where we are!"

Just then Evie and Lonnie heard someone gasping in shock behind them. They turned around and saw the girl in the paining, only she was now age 17 or so wearing a plain gray and white dress with her hair down.

"You…you're not supposed to be in here," said the girl with the gray and brown eyes, "if my father finds out you're in here, he'll…"

"Your father, Heinrich," said Lonnie.

"Yes, he's my father," said the girl in an ashamed tone, "I'm Elisabeth von Karstein. Look, you shouldn't be in my rooms, no one is supposed to even know about me outside the family. Well, you will be in the family soon enough, after you marry my brothers of course."

"We're not marrying your brothers," said Evie, "my friends and I were brought here against our will."

"I know," said the girl, Elisabeth, "I knew all along about my father's plan."

"How did you…you're the one using the spy ports," said Evie.

"Yes, I've been spying on you and your friends," said Elisabeth, "and I hate what my father is doing to you. I almost shouted to my father to stop when he hurt your friend's hand. I just wish I can do more to help you girls escape."

"That bobby pin," said Evie, "you put it on the table."

"I wish I had something bigger so you could pick the lock on the door," said Elisabeth.

Just then Evie and Lonnie saw Audrey help Jane through the passage, "sorry, she insisted she follow you two," said Audrey.

"My hand doesn't hurt as much," said Jane, she then saw Elisabeth, "oh, hello there."

"How do you do?" asked Elisabeth.

"Not so good, but thanks anyway," said Audrey.

"This is Elisabeth," said Evie, "she's been helping us, sort of."

"I do wish I can do more," said Elisabeth, "but for obvious reasons I can't."

"Why can't you do more?" asked Audrey, "and why help us in the first place?"

"Isn't it obvious?" asked grimly Elisabeth, "to foil my father, I hate him." She looked at the portrait of Helena, "my mother loved me so much, but my father, you know what my father is like. I was unacceptable to him, everything about me was unacceptable, from my eyes and face down to my clubfoot." She pulled up the skirt of her dress to reveal her right ankle turned inward.

"As if that wasn't enough to make my father hate me," said Elisabeth, "I have a rare genetic condition. You see any windows in my rooms? I can't be in direct sunlight for more than a few minutes without my skin burning."

"Oh…I…I'm so sorry," said Audrey in a somewhat sheepish tone, "I didn't…"

"Know that Heinrich von Karstein, the paradigm of genetic perfection and spokesman of blood superiority," said Elisabeth, "that he has a mistake of a daughter? He wanted to leave me exposed to the elements when I was less than an hour old. I know this because he reminds me of it. Oh, he comes to visit me now and then to remind me how inferior I am and how ashamed he is to have wasted the fruits of his loins to produce my wreck of a genetic structure."

"He can't hate you that much, can he?" asked Jane.

"He would have had me destroyed if it weren't for my mother," said Elisabeth, "she was my protector, my guardian angel," she then showed Evie and the others to her bedroom where a massive mural of Helena in heavenly glory was halfway finished.

"If there is divine providence," said Elisabeth, "then my mother is there in paradise. She died when I was still small. On her deathbed, she begged my father to spare me, to let me live. She made my father swear not to harm me. Despite my father's heartless nature, he cared for my mother enough to honor her last wish, and I've been in this set of Disappointment Rooms ever since."

"You've never been outside?" asked Audrey.

"I can't go outside," said Elisabeth, "a few minutes in the sun and I'll be writhing on the ground in agony as my skin burns. But I can go about the castle. I know every inch of the passages between the walls. I've gotten pretty good at sneaking about, especially behind my brothers. They hate me almost as much as my father does, especially the twins, they're the worst of the bunch."

"I believe you," said Jane, "but still, they're your family."

"I wish they weren't," said Elisabeth, "well, not all of them. Stefan has been cordial with me in recent years. He brings me photographs of the outside world for me to paint. Marrying Claudette mellowed him out a bit, and Claudette is almost kind to me, kind enough to bring me more photographs of the outside world. She even has the cooks bring me better food than my brothers get."

"FOOD!" exclaimed Jane as she ran out of the room to the sitting area, where a bowl of fruit lay on a table.

"Don't eat it!" said Audrey as she, Evie and Lonnie hurried after her, "it may have that anti-magic junk on it."

"No, it doesn't," said Elisabeth, "it's perfectly safe. In fact, I was thinking of how to bring you untainted food so you can use your magic again."

"I'd hug you if my hand wasn't hurting so much," said Jane. She then picked up an apple with her right hand and devoured it.

"Okay then," said Audrey, "so, you're one of the good guys. Any chance you can help us escape?"

"Escape?" asked Elisabeth, "well…I suppose so. I mean, I can get you girls out of the castle, but I couldn't go with you, I wouldn't last long in the open. But even if that weren't an issue, there's no way down from the castle."

"Oh, we believe you," said Lonnie, remembering how she and Evie nearly fell to their doom from the castle roof to the ground thousands of feet below, "but there's got to be a way down."

"We can stowaway on or steal one of those airships or whatever they are," said Evie, "or get someone to fly us out of here. There's got to be someone in the castle who isn't happy with the von Karsteins. Someone like…" she almost mentioned Marie and held her tongue, still unsure if she can truly trust the blonde chambermaid.

"We'll think of something," said Elisabeth, "and right soon. My father is pushing forward the wedding plans. He's looking forward to the quadruple wedding and seeing the results of the quadruple wedding night."

"Oh heck no!" exclaimed Lonnie, "I'd rather smash open one of the windows and jump off the roof than marry Karl!"

"I'd rather eat a bushel of poisoned apples than marry Wilhelm," said Audrey

"But why?" asked Evie, "why is Heinrich so hell-bent on us marrying his sons? Is he that desperate for grandchildren?"

"I think he wants as many grandchildren as possible," said Elisabeth, "moving about the castle behind everyone's back, you pick up more than a few rumors. My father wants to conquer the world."

"Well DUH!" said Evie, Audrey, Lonnie and Jane together.

"Yes, well," said a slightly taken aback Elisabeth, "my father wants my brothers to have plenty of offspring to carry on the family bloodline. It's his obsession, one of them anyway."

She sighed with disgust as she quoted an unpleasant memory, ""What is life? Life is the beginning of death. What is death? It is the end of life. What is existence? It is the continuation of the blood. What is blood? It is the reason to exist.'"

She sighed again and looked at Evie and the others, "I'll do what I can to help you get out of here, but don't try to convince me to go with you, I'll only hold you back."

"No you won't," said Jane between mouthfuls of another apple.

"Yes I will," said Elisabeth, "look, don't argue with me, I've inherited the family stubbornness, the one thing about my DNA I actually like. Anyway, you four need to get back to your rooms before someone finds you gone."

"Good idea," said Evie, "we can't escape until we're ready to go."

With that Elisabeth showed Evie and the others the way through the hidden corridors back to their rooms.

"Thank you, Elisabeth," said Audrey in a slightly unsure tone, "I…just…thank you."

"Of course, anything for a friend," said Elisabeth as she smiled her crooked smile, "I have to admit, it feels good to have friends. And as friends, call me Cassandra, it's what my mother wanted to name me."

"Well, okay then, Cassandra," said Audrey, "you can call me JoJo."

Hesitantly, Elisabeth hugged Audrey, "thank you, JoJo." With that she went back into the secret passage, closing the portrait door behind her.

"JoJo?" asked Evie.

"It's a mix of her middle and last name," said Lonnie, "but," she looked at Audrey, "only your grandmother calls you that, and you hate it."

"Yeah, well," said Audrey, "after hearing of Elisabeth's woes, my own problems seem somewhat inadequate."

* * *

"Oh, your problems are just getting started, you naughty little girl," said Wilhelm as he and Frederic listened with water glasses pressed between their ears and the door.

"Let's go in there and bust them up!" said Frederic with sadistic eagerness.

"No, dear brother," said Wilhelm, "I've a better idea. Let's tell Father!"

"Oh, that is a better idea, brother of mine," said Frederic, "let's go snitch! Then Father will have to use The Cat on one of them, maybe all four! Oh, and I can only image how furious he'll be when we tell them how naughty the freak has been!"

"Let's go tell him now!" said Wilhelm.

"Let's!" Frederic agreed. With that the sinister twins scampered through the castle hallways, practically vibrating with vile glee at the pain about to be inflicted.

* * *

They found Heinrich in a room filled with CCTV monitors, computer screens with Transdorian technicians sitting in front of and a massive hologram projector.

"FATHER! FATHER!" exclaimed both twins as they ran up to Heinrich, "YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHAT…"

"Not now, boys," said Heinrich as he looked at the hologram projector, which showed a jet crossing the border between Auradon and Transdoria, "I've an intruder to deal with."

"Is it the pup of a king?" asked Frederic.

"It appears so," said Heinrich, "young Benjamin is mounting the rescue effort a little sooner than I thought. No matter, I'm ready for him. They'll never get close to the castle."

"What will do you do them, Father?" asked Wilhelm, "and can I watch?"

"'Can _we_ watch?' you mean, dear brother," said Fredric.

"Yes, that's what I meant, brother," said Wilhelm.

"Very well," said Heinrich, "just don't touch anything. The last time you messed around with my command center, you nearby bombed one of our own supply depots. Now, sit back and watch as the young king and his companions learn the hard way that what goes up must come down."

* * *

 **…35,000 feet in the air…**

"So, Andrew," said Mal, "why the guns in the first place? I mean, you've got your cannon Stand and Saul has his train, and Jill has Hamon, so…"

"Why bother with firearms?" asked Jill as she cleaned her pistol, "stamina, of course. Big Bang Theroy can fire projectiles more powerful than any man-made cannon, but there's a limit to a Stand's power; how many times Andrew can fire the cannon, how far he can shoot the projectiles…"

"It's not just stamina," said Andrew as he finished cleaning his .475 auto magnum and started putting it back together, "there are six attributes that contribute to the statistics of a Stand.

"Destructive Power, or just Power, which measures the strength of a Stand and how much physical and collateral environmental damage it can inflict within a given amount of time. It's not just sheer physical force, but all its power put together.

"Next is Speed, which is, obviously, how fast and agile a Stand is. Then there's Range; how far a Stand can manifest its power and abilities.

"Durability is a Stand's stamina, linked to the stamina of the Stand User, but it's also how much damage a Stand can withstand in battle. In a Stand on Stand battle, a Stand's Durability is a major factor.

"Precision is how accurate a Stand is. Stand's like Big Bang Theory who use long-range attacks need a higher level of Precision than ones that rely on close-quarter combat. And finally there's Developmental Potential, which is how much stronger a Stand can get. The stronger a Stand becomes, the lower its Development. I hope someone's writing this down."

"Oh, yes sir!" said an eager Doug as he typed the information into his phone.

"I don't get it," said Jay, "how can a stat go down the stronger you get?"

"He means how much untapped potential left to discover," said Carlos.

"Exactly," said Andrew, "a Stand with an E ranking in Development has gotten as strong as it's gonna get."

"E ranking?" asked Mal.

"E being Very Weak and A for Excellent," said Andrew, "take my Stand's Stats for example…"

 **Stand Name: Big Bang Theory**

 **Stand User: Andrew Carpenter**

 **Power: A**

 **Speed: C**

 **Range: A**

 **Durability: C**

 **Precision: A**

 **Development: D**

"I've been working with Big Bang Theory for decades now," said Andrew, "and while I can come up with new ways to utilize its power, there's very little I can do to make it stronger. Now, as for Saul's Stand…"

 **Stand Name: Soul Train**

 **Stand User: Saul Gordon**

 **Power: B**

 **Speed: C**

 **Range: B**

 **Durability: B**

 **Precision: B**

 **Development: B**

"Soul Train isn't as powerful as Big Bang Theory," said Andrew, "but what Saul's Stand lacks in sheer offensive strength and destructive power, it has more endurance and much more room to grow than mine."

"Okay, I get it now," said Jay, "but how do you train a Stand?"

"Stands aren't like animals you can teach tricks," said Andrew, "they're a part of you, they are you, or rather, a manifestation of your subconscious."

"There's a cannon in your subconscious," said Mulan.

"And he's got a steam train in his," said Phillip as he and Aurora looked at Saul.

"Like I said, my favorite circus act was the human cannonball," said Andrew, "some stands take their forms from powerful memories. Others take their shapes based on the User's emotions. Some can change shape at will, while others change over time."

Just then the jet shook violently as if passing through a large patch of turbulence.

"Hey! Watch where you're flying this thing, Ben!" shouted Chad as he and the others buckled in.

The jet shook harder for several seconds before stabilizing.

"Everything alright, Ben?" asked Mal after making her way to the cockpit and buckling in at the copilot seat.

"No, we're not," said Ben, "I don't know what it was for sure, but something made one of the engines overheat. I had to shut it down before it caught fire. That shaking was me nearly losing control of the plane."

"Uh…what could have made the engine overhead?" asked Mal, whom looked at the jet's controls and instruments and had no idea what do make of it.

"I don't know," said Ben, "the oil pressure's fine and there's no fuel leak. Go look out the window and see what you can see. It's the portside engine, the one on the left."

"I know what's port and starboard," said Mal as she unbuckled and got up to go into the cabin.

"What's the deal? Is it safe to get up again?" asked Jay as Mal hurried to the windows. She looked out on the left side and saw scorch marks on the wing, while the engine housing was glowing red-hot.

"Ben, the engine's a mess," said Mal.

"What do you mean the engine's a mess!?" exclaimed Aurora. At which the others in the cabin began talking all at once and began to panic.

"EVERYONE SHUT IT!" shouted Ben over the plane's intercom. "Mal, check the starboard wing, the engine's heating up there too!"

Mall hurried to the right-hand side windows and looked to, seeing flames lick the wing and the engine beginning to glow with intense heat.

"Oh My God! We're On Fire!" exclaimed Chad.

"We're not on fire!" Mal insisted, "well, we are, but it's not that bad. I mean…"

"Oh, it's bad alright," said Andrew as he looked out the window with a special lens over his glasses, "we're under attack!" he handed the lens to Mal, whom looked through it to see a beam of energy striking the wing.

"What is that?" asked Jay after Mal handed him the lens and he looked out.

"A beam of highly concentrated infrared energy," said Doug after Jay handed him the lens and he looked out, "the Transdorians, they have a Death Ray!"

"Not necessarily," said Jill, "if it truly were a Death Ray, we'd already be dead, no pun intended."

"It's that sadistic sack of slime, von Karstein!" said Ben as he shut down the starboard engine before it exploded. The jet shook as Ben fought to keep it under control, "he's toying with us!"

"Can we still fly?" Mal asked after hurrying back to the cockpit and buckling herself in.

"Barely," said Ben in a strained tone as he fought to keep the controls steady, "we've got one engine left, on the tail. If that goes, well, let's just hope I can get us down before they shot that ray at us again." He then got on the intercom, "Everyone buckle in, we're landing now!" He began the jet's descent, dropping down through the clouds.

"30,000 feet," said Ben as he kept one eye on the altimeter, "29,500…29,000…"

"I don't get it," said Mulan as she and the others waited in the cabin anxiously for their lives, "if Heinrich has a Death Ray or Heat Ray or whatever it is, and advanced aircraft, why hasn't he started a war before now?"

"That's what we've been trying to find out," said Andrew, "our mole in The Falcon's Nest has been digging up whatever info he can on von Karstein's war plans. He's definitely waiting for something before he makes his move on the world, most likely a weapon."

"And we believe that's what Shadowcast is doing for von Karstein," said Jill, "Developing a weapon to enable his conquest of the world."

"Then why risk starting a war before he's ready?" asked Phillip, "why kidnap Evie and the others? He must know Auradon would respond."

"I think it's clear by now that Heinrich von Karstein is a complete lunatic," said Aurora.

"You'll get no argument from me," said Mulan.

Everyone then heard Ben on the intercom, "okay, everyone, we're at 10,000 feet, so there's no danger of explosive decompression, and I think I see a road below us wide enough to land on, so we're in pretty good shape considering we're down to one engine."

"Wait, what's that!?" Mal asked.

Jill unbuckled herself and made her way to the cockpit, seeing out the windshield what Ben and Mal saw; a wide expanse of forest through which ran a paved highway. Said highway ran a straight path towards a massive escarpment of rock in the distance, "that's von Karstein's fortress; The Falcon's Nest! We've got to get closer!"

"We can't risk it," said Ben, "we're landing!"

But then the overheated engine warning light went on, followed by a massive shudder across the entire plane.

"And we just lost our last engine," said Ben as he fought with all his might to keep the jet under control. Then the plane gave a mighty groan and shook even more violently than before, "and I think we just lost the tail!"

The jet began spinning out of control as it plummeted to the ground. Mal could hear her friends in the cabin screaming for dear life. She looked at Ben, whom looked back. They both reached to hold hands against the centripetal forces of the spin.

"Don't you have magic, Mal!" shouted Jill as she held onto the cabin door, "cast a spell or something!"

"I do have magic!" said Mal. But then she paused as her mind went blank; she just couldn't think of a spell to save everyone's lives, not one she could remember from her mother's book anyway.

As the ground spun closer and closer, Mal knew she had seconds to live. Unable to remember a spell, she made one up, _"We can't spare an ounce, so make the plane bounce!"_

The jet was surrounded by a bright purple aura as it slammed into the ground, then bounced like a rubber ball back into the air. Mal and the others held on as the plane bounced again and again, smashing through trees and vines before coming to a rest in a clearing of its own making.

For several seconds no one moved, just breathed and silently thanked divine providence for their survival.

"Well, that happened," Ben finally said. He then looked at Mal with grateful eyes, "that's another I owe you."

"Yeah, that was kinda on me," said Mal with just a hint of smugness.

"When you're quite done feeling so sure of yourself," said a somewhat battered and bruised Jill as she stood in the cockpit doorway, her wounds glowing with Hamon as they slowly healed.

"Oh my gosh, Jill! You weren't buckled in!" said Mal as she and Ben got out of their seats.

"You alright?" Ben asked.

"Well, considering I was just bounced around like a ping pong ball," said Jill, "or a gnip gnop ball, depending how you look at it. Either way, all things considered, I've had worse."

"Liar," said Andrew as he rushed over, "admit it, you've never been in a plane crash before."

"What difference does it make? We're alive, aren't we?" asked Mulan.

"Yes, no thanks to von Karstein," said Doug as he and the others, slightly sore and disoriented, got up, "if he has a heat ray that can shoot down planes, what else does he got that can kill us?"

"Got a pencil?" asked Saul.

"We're still alive and able to keep going, that's what matters," said Mulan, "so, what now?"

"Now, we salvage our equipment and head to The Falcon's Nest," said Andrew, "how far would you reckon we're from the place by the way?"

"I'd say less than twenty kilometers," said Jill, "as the crow flies that is."

"Then we'd better get going, and fast," said Andrew, "no doubt von Karstein is sending his bullyboys to check for survivors."

* * *

 **…The Falcon's Nest…**

"There's no way they could have survived," said Frederic as he, Wilhelm and Heinrich looked at the radar screen, "they're all smashed and blown up."

"Then how come the heat sensors didn't detect an explosion, stupid?" asked Wilhelm.

"Uh…they dumped all the fuel before they crashed?" asked Frederic.

"You're a fuel dump, dummy!" snapped Wilhelm.

"You ain't so smart and shiny yourself, dung brains!" said Frederic. At that the twins began a furious grapple that upended several nearby tables, scattering papers, clipboards and pens everywhere.

"Shouldn't we stop them, my Count?" asked one of the security technicians in a somewhat fearful tone.

"What do you mean _we_?" asked Herinrich.

At that the technician looked ready to faint, "uh…what I meant was…I meant…I mean…no disrespect intended, my Count…but…I…I…I…"

"Oh stop it before you make a mess of yourself," said Heinrich. He then grabbed the scuffling twins and knocked their heads together, "stop it, you two!"

"Oww! Yes, Father!" said both Wilhelm and Frederic as they ceased their fight and rubbed their sore heads.

"There, problem solved," said Heinrich, "Well, one problem. I am not convinced the intruders were disposed of, not convinced at all."

Just then a servant ran up to Heinrich with a letter which he promptly read, "hmmm…I'm needed at the laboratories. Fetch Stefan."

"My Count, Stefan is at the arms factory," said the servant.

"Yes, I know," said Heinrich, "and Karl and Gustav are also otherwise occupied," he looked at Wilhelm and Frederic, "you two! Remain here and keep an eye on things! Dispatch the troops to the crash site! If the interlopers are dead, bring me their remains! If they are alive, kill them and bring me their remains!"

"Yes Father!" said both twins as they saluted smartly.

"So, how shall we deal with the invaders, dearest brother?" asked Wilhelm, "if they're alive that is? Shall we dispatch wave after wave of Doppelgängers?"

"No, I'm in too bad a mood to watch a slaughter of mooks," said Frederic. He then smiled as a sinsister idea occurred, "oh, I know what to send, some of the 'volunteers' in Father's new army."

"You want to send in some of those freaks?" asked a shocked Wilhelm, "those abominations of science? Those crimes against nature?" He then grinned with sadistic glee, "I love it! Oh, but shouldn't we ask Father first for permission?"

"He said bring him the bodies of the invaders," said Frederic, "by any means necessary," though he new Heinrich said no such thing. "what difference does it make how we do it?"

"You're right," said Wilhelm, delighting at the chance to be naughty behind Heinrich's back, "wait, wasn't there something we were supposed to tell Father?"

"We were supposed to tell him something," said a slightly puzzled Frederic, "but I can't remember. Oh well, it'll come to me later. Now, let's see how messy we can make things for our outlander friends, shall we, brother of mine?"

"We shall, dear brother," said Wilhelm, "we shall."

* * *

 **…Elsewhere…**

"Well, Ms. Uma?" asked Adriane as she showed Uma, Gil and Harry around several ornately equipped and ordered laboratories, "what do you think of Shadowcast so far?"

"You guys sure are organized, I'll give you that," said Uma.

"What exactly are you people trying to do?" asked Harry, "it's not just drugs you're making, is it?"

"Oh, we have many more projects in the works besides improving Chems," said Adriane, "and not just for recreational purposes. We're making Chems to improve soldiers on the field of battle, as well as developing new and deadlier weapons. Down that way we're making energy weapons based on lasers and plasma power sources. And down there we're working on improving projectile weapons; guns and ammunition and the such.

"But it's not just physical weapons of war that Shadowcast has its hands in," she stopped beside a closed door, "there's the psychological aspect of war to consider. For instance," she opened the door, "here we have our wonderful Propaganda Department."

Uma and her fellow pirates saw a classroom full of scientists and technicians, while one scientist was banging the head of another against the chalkboard.

 _ **"FIFTY SHADES ISN'T LITERATURE!"**_

"Uh…maybe we should move on," said a somewhat embarrassed Adriane as she escorted Uma, Harry and Gil from the awkward scene. They then entered another laboratory, where a tall scientist with black hair and wearing a monocle over his left eye was pondering a chemical formula on a chalkboard.

"And here's the man I wish to introduce you to. Dr. Pomegranate? Oh, Dr. Pomegranate!"

The scientist, Dr. Pomegranate, looked at Uma and her crewmates, "so these are the waifs you wanted me to work with, Adriane? Well, as long as they keep their grimy hands off my stash."

"Your what?" asked Uma.

At that Dr. Pomegranate laughed, "Moustache!" he said as he produced a fake moustache and placed it on his upper lip.

"Yeah, he's rather fond of strange jokes," said a slightly embarrassed Adriane.

"Alright, alright, time to get serious," said Dr. Pomegranate as he tossed the fake moustache away. "Now, as you've probably assumed, I'm responsible for the Jet you and your fellow buccaneers have used on your outings in Auradon."

"No, we didn't," said Uma, "but thanks anyway. That Jet stuff, it really gives us the edge," she then glared at Harry and Adriane, "if someone would just let me use that edge, I would have taken care of some unfinished business."

"Official business before personal business," said Adriane, "I won't say it again, Ms. Uma; if you can't put your vendetta aside for the greater evil, then you have no place among Shadowcast, the same goes for your crew. I'm serious, if you're so hellbent on revenge that you cannot cooperate with the bigger picture," she gestured towards the door, "I'll be happy to take you and yours back to Auradon."

Uma saw Harry and Gil looking at her with pleading eyes, as if begging her not to screw up such a golden opportunity presented to them.

"I…can wait on revenge," said Uma, "but you'd better deliver on those Chems you talked about."

"Indeed I shall," said Adriane, "Dr. Pomegranate? Would you care to show our young friends the merchandise?"

"With pleasure, Ms. Adriane," said Dr. Pomegranate. He walked over to a nearby cabinet and took out a large bottle of pills, "this is Buffout, or rather, a refined version of Buffout, long story. To make said long story short, Buffout temporarily increases physical strength and endurance. Here," he opened the bottle, shook out two pills and gave them to Harry, "try them. Don't worry, they're perfectly safe for human consumption."

"Shouldn't you give me some kind of warning about not using heavy machinery or something?" asked Harry as he looked at the pills, "I'll just take half of one to start, thank you very much." He broke one of the pills in half, pocketed the other half and the whole one and swallowed the remaining piece.

Almost instantly Harry's muscle mass increased, leaving Harry in awe at the sudden rush of energy he felt. Without warning, he gleefully smashed a nearby table, then tore a steel tray in half with his bare hands.

"'Hey Mikey, I think he likes it!'" said Dr. Pomegranate, who, laughed at his own joke. He then looked at Uma, "care to try some Buffout, young lady?"

"I'll stick with Jet, if you don't mind," said Uma as she looked at Harry's rampage as he destroyed more metal pieces in the lab, "all that muscle on me, no thanks."

"Fair enough," said Dr. Pomegranate, "moving on," he went to another cabinet and took out what looked like an old fashion tin of mints and took out what looked like old fashioned mints, "these are Mentats. In short, Mentats enhance cognitive processing and memory association."

"They what?" asked Gil.

"They make you smarter, young man," said Dr. Pomegranate.

"Oh, no way," said Uma, "you're pulling my tentacles."

"I am most certainly not!" said Dr. Pomegranate, "young lady, I have several degrees in biochemistry and years of experience in pharmaceutical research and development. If I say a product does something, it will do it."

"You're telling me that those little pills can make me smarter?" Harry asked as he walked over, crumpling another steel tray into a ball, "that they can even make Gil smarter? Now that I'd like to see."

"That you shall," said Dr. Pomegranate, "but first thing's first, let's see what we have to work with. You, boy, what's two plus two?"

"Two plus two?" asked Gil, "well duh! Four!"

"Good," said Dr. Pomegranate, "now, what's eight minus four?"

"Eight," said Gil confidently.

"Wrong, it's four," said Pomegranate, "I see we need to work on your subtraction."

"No, no, I was right," said Gil, "the answer's eight."

"You're mistaken, boy," said in a slightly impatient tone Dr. Pomegranate, "the answer is four."

"No, it's eight," Gil insisted.

"Okay, now you're being stupid on purpose," said Uma, "everyone knows eight minus four is four."

"No, it's eight," said Gil, "you take away the four and you're left with eight."

"I'm confused," said Harry, "how can a human being be this dumb?"

"Let me set this straight so we can move on," said Dr. Pomegranate as he walked over to the chalkboard and flipped it over, erasing whatever work was on it, then picked up a piece of chalk to draw the following math equation…

 **8 – 4 = 4**

"You see?" asked Dr. Pomegranate, "you subtract four from eight and you're left with four."

"No, _you_ don't see," said Gil as he walked up to the chalkboard and erased the 4 at the end of the equation, "okay, 'eight minus four,'" he tapped the 4, "you take away the 4 so it's not there anymore and you're left with 8!"

He then erased the 4 and the minus symbol, leaving just the number 8 on the chalkboard.

"Eight minus four is eight!" said Gil.

"Oh my God," said an exasperated Uma as she and Harry facepalmed.

"Young man, you propose a…a somewhat interesting way of viewing mathematics," said Dr. Pomegranate, "but we don't have time for such a debate." He then handed two of the mint-like pills to Gil, "eat these."

"Okay," said Gil after looking at the pills, swallowing them whole, "so, now what?"

"Give it a second," said Dr. Pomegranate.

A few seconds later Gil's eyes dilated and he gasped in shock as his mind restarted.

"Let's try this again," said Dr. Pomegranate, "Gil? What's eight minus four?"

"I told you like a…a million times," said Gil, "Eight minus four is eight and if you ask…wait…no," he then walked to the chalkboard and rewrote the equation…

 **8 – 4 = 4**

"It's four," said an astonished Gil, "the answer is four!" He then began writing more and more math problems on the board and solved them.

"You actually made him smarter," said an amazed Uma, "but I'm not sure it's a good thing."

"Yes, it is impressive," said Dr. Pomegranate, "Unfortunately the effect is only temporary, as are the effects of Buffout. In an hour or so your two male friends shall be back to normal. Fortunately the two Chems aren't as addictive as their earlier formulae."

"And we're coming up with improvements all the time," said Adriane.

Just then a technician ran up to Dr. Pomegranate and whispered something in his ear, "now?" Dr. Pomegranate asked, "he's here now? Tell him I'll be there presently." He then hurried out of the lab.

"Now what?" asked Uma.

"That was our employer," said Adriane, "no doubt wanting to talk about project progress or something, noting to worry about."

Yet something did make Uma worry, something that didn't seem quite right about the whole operation.

* * *

Dr. Pomegranate rushed to another area of the laboratories, where he found Heinrich looking out a window.

"Count von Karstein, you honor me!" said Dr. Pomegranate.

"You can skip the pleasantries, my good doctor," said Heinrich, "I'm not here to see you."

It was then that Dr. Lime walked into the room, "Count von Karstein," he said with a flourishing bow, "I would have come to you directly, but…"

"But you needed to show him your data from your own computer," said Dr. Pomegranate in a contemptuous manner, "your paranoia will be the death of you."

"And you're one bad batch away from a chemical overdose," replied Dr. Lime, "go back to your test tubes and tumblers, you petti excuse for a scientist!"

"You'll rue the day you crossed me, Lime!" said Dr. Pomegranate as he irately shook his fist, "you'll rue the day you even joined Shadowcast!" with that he stomped out of the area.

"Forgive me, Count von Karstein," said Dr. Lime, "professional rivalries tend to get out of hand."

"Never mind that," said Heinrich with impatient irritation, "you said you had to see me immediately."

"I…said whenever you had a moment to talk face to face," said Dr. Lime as he closed the door and activated an anti-eavesdropping device, "I couldn't risk speaking to you over the telephone; corporate and industrial espionage, after all."

"Spare me your paranoia, doctor," said an impatient Heinrich, "what is the problem?"

"It's your sons, Count von Karstein," said Dr. Lime, "I fear…"

"Fear what?" asked Heinrich, at which Dr. Lime flinched and backed away a few steps, "what's wrong with my sons?"

"They…it's the serum, Count von Karstein," said Dr. Lime, "Formulae G-92Z. I believe I've found a breakthrough

"What about G-92Z?" asked Heinrich irately, "are you saying that the green stuff you injected into my children years ago, the same green drug you said would make them far stronger than I was at the pinnacle of my youth, the very same drug you promised me on the soul of your dear mother would have no ill effects on my children, are you saying…?"

"It's nothing that can't be fixed, my Count!" pleaded Dr. Lime, "just a few minor side effects we weren't aware of when we first administered G-92Z ten years ago."

"What took you so long?" asked Heinrich.

"You do remember the mysterious stranger who first presented you five doses of G-92Z those many years ago?" asked Dr. Lime.

"One for each of my boys," said Heinrich, "yes, he said it'd make my boys invincible."

"And you hired Shadowcast to research G-92Z and reverse engineer it for mass production," said Dr. Lime, "from what remained in the syringes and from blood samples from your sons. It was the fact that we've taken so many blood samples from your sons over the years that we've found what could be a serious problem."

"Well, then?" Heinrich asked, "what is the problem?"

"We believe G-92Z has caused some...minor psychological damage in your sons," said Dr. Lime, "specifically Wilhelm, Frederic, Karl and Gustav. We believe the serum is the cause of their lack of mental development."

"So you're saying the serum is the reasons why my sons are so stupid?" Heinrich asked. He then laughed heartily, at which Dr. Lime joined in.

But then Heinrich abruptly stopped laughing, "I don't see what's so funny about it! My sons are mentally retarded, and you're laughing?!"

At that Dr. Lime's laughter spluttered to a halt, "uh...no, my Count, of course not! I would never make light of such a serious matter! It's just..."

"Spare me your simpering," said Heinrich, "what can be done?"

"I fear nothing, Count von Karstein," said Dr. Lime, "the damage is done. The only bright side is that the effects isn't hereditary. Your son's children will be born with all their mental facilities intact. I give you my word of honor; your grandchildren are in no danger."

"They'd better not be," said Heinrich, "especially their genes."

"I swear on my mother's grave there'll be no issue with the issues," said Dr. Lime, "your eldest Stefan, he was already in puberty when he was given G-92Z, we believe that's a mitigating factor. Stefan has already produced two completely healthy children and is capable of producing many more, as will your younger sons."

"For your sake, Doctor," said Heinrich, "I've invested too much in the future to risk any missteps. Hump! Scientists and your projects! Your miracle weapons and drugs! You keep promising me super soldiers and invincible weapons. You promised me an unstoppable army!"

"And we will deliver, Count von Karstein," said Dr. Lime, "but the perfect weapon takes time."

"Time which is running out," said Heinrich, "I know I will not live forever, nor do I want to. But I must live to see the conquest of the world, at least the beginning of it and leave it to my sons, however incapable some of them are. If only I can get my hands on 'it' again, then all my problems will solve themselves."

" _It_?" asked Dr. Lime, "what's _it_?"

"Nothing of importance," said Heinrich, "just an old man musing about a missed opportunity. Continue your work, Dr. Lime, but know that my patience wears thin with you and your fellow Shadowcast scientists." With that he walked out of the office, leaving a somewhat unnerved Dr. Lime alone.

"But I will get ' _it'_ again!" said Heinrich to himself out in the hallway, "I had ' _it'_ in my hands once, the power to create an invincible army to conquer the world. I will find ' _it'_ again and I will make that power mine!"

* * *

"I'll get that talentless derivative if it's the last thing I do!" said Dr. Pomegranate as he walked back to the lab, where Uma, Gil and Harry were eagerly listening to a technician talk about Chems.

"You and Lime again?" Adriane asked.

"Just because Count von Karstein chose him to be the family physician doesn't make him more important than the rest of the team!" snapped Dr. Pomegranate.

"Well, at least he's doing his job," said Adriane, "as did I. The last batch of Auradonian drugs and electronics should arrive soon. But all of that, all of Shadowcast's efforts in Transdoria, will be put to shame," she held up a small case, "not after I ready my presentation for this little treasure."

"So, you finally found another Stone Mask," said Dr. Pomegranate, "and here I thought your obsession was just that, an obsession. Do you really think that monster maker is what Count von Karstein wants?"

"He want's an unstoppable army," said Adriane as she opened the case and took out the Stone Mask, "I'll give him one. The question is," she then eyed Uma, Harry and Gil, "which one do I test it out on first? Decisions, decisions."

* * *

 **…The Open Ocean…**

"Well, this sucks to no conclusiation," said Zevon as he and C.J. clung to a large piece of driftwood out on the open ocean.

"If you say one more made up word, Zevon," said C.J. irately, "I'll push you off and leave you to the sharks!"

"You push me and I'll drag you under!" snapped Zevon.

"I'd like to see you try!" spat C.J.

"You bet your livelionation I would!" said Zevon.

"THAT DOES IT!" exclaimed C.J., "YOU'RE SHARK BAIT!" she lunged at Zevon and the two grappled with one hand, keeping the other on the driftwood.

But then the water all around them began frothing as something huge rose up from the depths, something that turned out to be The Gray Phantom.

"OMG! We're saved!" cried C.J. as she and Zevon found themselves on the deck of the recycled submarine.

But then the hatch opened up and out came Harriet and her crew, still armed to the teeth, all with red, puffy eyes and still coughing a bit, and all looking ready to commit murder.

"Uh…hi, sis," said C.J. as she and Zevon got to their feet with their hands raised in surrender, "you're…probably not happy to see me right now, right?"

"Oh, I'm very happy to see you, C.J.," said Harriet in a raspy voice, "happy enough not to kill you two, yet. All you have to do is tell me where Uma and the others went."

"So answer the bloody question," said Anthony, "where did they go?"

"And what do they want with my Raritanium!?" exclaimed Owen.

"I don't know," said both Zevon and C.J.

"LIARS!" bellowed Geoffrey as he grabbed C.J. and held her over the edge of the deck, "TELL THE TRUTH!"

"I'm telling the truth!" cried C.J. as she dangled over the water, "I don't know! I swear I don't know! I swear by The Pirate's Code, I don't know!"

"The Code may be the law," said Harriet, "but not many take it seriously. For most pirates, it's just guidelines. Now, I'll ask one more time? Where did Uma and the others go?"

"I don't know!" sobbed C.J., "I swear on my soul I don't know!"

"I think she's telling the truth, Skipper," said Fen, "knowing your brother and his cohorts, it's no wonder they didn't trust C.J., or Zevon for that matter."

"Hey, I'm plenty of trustingness," said Zevon.

"Could you put me back on the deck for one second?" C.J. asked, "just one second?"

"Do it, Geoffrey," said Harriet.

Geoffrey shrugged and dropped C.J. back on the deck.

"Thank you," said C.J. She then walked over to and punched Zevon in the solar plexus. He gasped for air and collapsed to the deck.

"I feel much better," said C.J. as she walked back to Geoffrey, "okay, where were we?"

"Never mind about that, Geoffrey," said Harriet as Geoffrey picked C.J. up again, "just bring her over. Now, C.J., there never was any real love in our family, but we are Hook's. The sea is in our blood and piracy in our souls. On that shared connection, please, tell me anything you know."

"The only thing I know is that some weird woman named Adriane promised Harry, Uma and Gil a lot of money and they promised me a share of it," said C.J., "I don't know why she wants that mask so much."

"What about the Raritanium?!" Owen demanded.

"Harry and Gil grabbed it because they thought they'd get even more money from Adriane," said C.J.

"Adriane," said Owen in a calmer tone, "that's not much to go on. Is there anything else you know about her? What she looks like? How she talked? What clothes she wore?"

"No, just Adriane," said C.J., "wait, there's something else. I think Harry said her real name once, but…I don't remember, it was a really long name, kinda stupid when you say it."

"Marlena Katharina Sophitia van Garrett," said Zevon as he got up, "that's Adriane's real name."

"Now was that so hard?" C.J. asked, "you see how easy life is when you don't use made up names?"

"I'll made up you!" snapped Zevon as he lunged at C.J. and she lunged at him. They would have come to blows if Anthony, Clay, Ginny and Claudine weren't restraining them.

"If that's all you know then that's all you know," said Harriet as C.J. and Zevon calmed down somewhat.

"Does this mean you won't throw us overboard?" C.J. asked hopefully.

"Not today," said Harriet, "it's getting late, I might as well sleep on it and kill you both in the morning. Take them below and secure them in 'The Glory Hole!"

"Aye, Skipper!" exclaimed Anthony, Clay, Ginny and Claudine as they frogmarched C.J. and Zevon inside. Harriet and the others also went below decks after them.

"Wait, where are you taking us?!" exclaimed Zevon, "'Glory Hole, I don't like the sound of that!"

"Me neither!" said C.J., "you said you wouldn't kill us until tomorrow, Harriet! You promised! YOU PROMISED! HARRIET!"

"You think we should tell them The Glory Hole is just Ned Lann's nickname for the ship's brig, Skipper?" Owen asked the two prisoners were carried out of sight further into the submarine.

"No, let them sweat it out," said Harriet, "though why Nemo mentioned that little tidbit in his logs is a mystery to me."

"Nemo was a very mysterious man," said Owen, "well, Marlena Katharina Sophitia van Garrett, it's not much to go on, but a name is a name, and names have a habit of leaving footprints, if you know where to look." He then failed to see the somewhat fearful look in Fen's eyes as she walked away to resume her duties.

"What about the stolen Raritanium?" Harriet asked as they headed to the bridge.

"They got away with nearly 150 kilograms, Skipper," said Owen, "we're fortunate they didn't find the main fuel bunker."

"What now, Captain?" Sammy Smee asked as they reached the bridge.

"Now, we chase after my brother and his fellow thieves," said Harriet as the took the wheel, "and we punish them. My friends, I've fallen for the family curse; I want revenge. They wounded my pride, the pride of The Gray Phantom and her crew. I won't rest until that insult is repaid in full."

 ** _…To Be Continued_**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Heinrich returned to the control center to find Wilhelm and Fredric giggling like idiots. "And just what is so funny?" their irate father asked.

"Oh, Father! You're back!" said a surprised Frederic as he and Wilhelm struggled to contain their sadistic giddiness, "good news, or bad, or whatever. The intruders are still alive!"

"It's true, Count von Karstein," said one of the security personnel, "our troops found the crash site and found the plane intact. No doubt it survived the crash with a powerful spell."

"There's only one magic user in Auradon who'll willingly use such magics," said Heinrich, "Mal of The Isle!"

"Yeah, it's her, Father," said Wilhelm, "we've got her and her boys on camera! Come look!"

One of the screens in the room played back a recording of Ben, Mal, Jay, Carlos, Chad, Doug, Aurora, Phillip, Mulan, Andrew, Jill and Saul, trekking through the forest.

"So, the pup came in person, as I predicted he would," said Heinrich, "and some of my future in-laws."

"Which ones?" Wilhelm asked.

"The adults, obviously!" said Frederic, "gods above, you can be so stupid sometimes!"

"Oh yeah?" asked Wilhelm, "well, which adults? There's like half a dozen of them."

"Uh…give me a second," said Frederic as he looked at the recording with pondering eyes, scratching his head in confusion.

"It matters not," said Heinrich, "their lives were forfeit as soon as they dared to invade Transdoria. How soon till the troops are ready to attack?"

"Oh, we didn't send regular old soldiers, Father," said Wilhelm, "we sent some of the 'volunteers.'"

"You did what?!" asked an outraged Heinrich, causing the twins to flinch back in fear, "you dared to use some of the experimental super soldiers without asking for my permission?"

"I…we…it was his idea!" said Wilhelm as he pointed an accusing finger at Frederic.

"Not it wasn't!" snapped Frederic as he glared at his twin, "it was all his idea!"

"Shut Up!" barked Heinrich as he raised his hand to strike, causing the twins to flinch back even further. But Heinrich calmed down somewhat, "how many did you send?"

"We loaded five into one of the bigger VTOL craft," said Wilhelm as he indicated one of the radar screens scanning a section of the forest. Twelve green blips were slowly making their way across the screen, while a large red blip was approaching from the northwest.

"Four of the lesser freaks and one of the bigger ones, Father," said Frederic.

"Have the smaller ones attack first," said Heinrich, "keep the larger one in reserve. Let's see just how battle worthy the 'volunteers' are when tested in actual combat."

* * *

 **…in the forest…**

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Chad asked.

"If you ask that again, son of Cinderella," said Saul irately, "you will not wake up the next morning!"

"Seriously, Chad, you've been complaining almost nonstop since we started hiking," said Jay.

"Well, I'm not used to hiking over such rough terrain," said Chad, "there's rocks and roots everywhere, and I keep slipping in mud! And I keep getting pebbles in my boots!"

"You'd think Ella and Kit would have their son be more of an outdoorsman," Phillip whispered to Aurora.

"You shouldn't criticize them," Aurora whispered back, "it's not their fault their son turned out the way he is. It'd serve you right if they'd criticize us for the way we raised Audrey."

"We should count our blessings our children know us," said Mulan, "there's plenty of children in the world who grew up without parents who love them, or worse, with parents who don't love them."

"Speaking of unloving parents," said Aurora, "or rather, insane parents, I wonder what makes Heinrich the way he is? Was he born this insane or did he have to work at it?"

"You'd have to get inside his head to figure that out," said Andrew, "something I wouldn't wish on anyone. Believe me, I've seen the real evil half of human nature."

"How?" asked Carlos, "how do you know that?"

"I was forced to face my own demons," said Andrew, "Literally. I suppose now's as good a time as any to tell you how I got my Stand. I already said some people are born with the potential for Stands. Others receive Stands one way or another, while mine was forced on me, forced by Shadowcast.

"I, Saul and several others were part of Shadowcast's psychic super soldier programs. They wanted to make psychic assassins who could kill their targets just by thinking about it. Needless to say, it didn't work out the way Shadowcast wanted. Saul, myself and few escaped, along with Jill and others, and we formed Joy Division Circus."

"But what did they do to you exactly?" asked Jay.

"What'd they do to us?" asked Saul, "I'll tell you what they did to us; they raped our brains, that's what they did to us!"

"I wouldn't go so far as to say it was rape," said Andrew, "but it was a violation, not only of ourselves, but of natural law. There are places man was never meant to go. I'm not talking about a physical location, but more like parts of the mind of man that should be left alone. Deep within the human subconscious is a place where our darkest fears and deepest desires hold sway, a mental wasteland where sick, twisted, demented fantasies play out. This is where man's inner darkness lives, waiting to be let out and wreak havoc on the world. That's what Shadowcast did; they forced us to confront our inner darkness and gave us the power to do so."

"But how did they do it?" asked Carlos.

"You really want to know," said Andrew, "very well. Imagine, if you will, a _Machine_ , an advanced and complex computer capable of accessing the human subconscious and manipulating it. Imagine said computer altering the subconscious, forcing you to face your worst memories, your darkest fears and most terrifying nightmares. Then imagine the computer giving you the power to destroy your fears and defeat your nightmares, and finally, imagine that power manifesting itself in the real world."

"Shadowcast used such a machine on us," said Saul, "they called it _Psychomech_."

" _Psychomech_ ," said Mal as she, Ben and the others shuddered in involuntary fear.

"Yes, it is a thing of evil," said Jill, "but _Psychomech_ could have been a thing of great good. Yes, it was originally conceived as a means of producing living weapons, but it had the potential to help the mentally ill."

"I know where you're going," said Ben, "a device…a mechanical psychiatrist, that can free people of their fears and anxieties. Such a thing can ease the sufferings of millions everywhere."

"Can it cure megalomania and world-domination ambition?" asked Mal.

"Program the machine and you could cure anyone of any fear," said Jill, "fortunately we destroyed it twenty-five years ago, for Psychomech's side effects greatly outweigh it's benefits."

"If _The Machine_ gave me and the others our Stands," said Andrew, "if it made us as powerful as we are now, imagine what it could do to someone already with a Stand? Just how powerful can it make an already powerful Stand User? That's the true horror of _Psychomech_ ; it has the potential to create a living god."

"Holy shitake mushrooms!" exclaimed Doug, "if someone as crazy as von Karstein gets his hands on _Psychomech_ …he'll…"

"He won't," said Jill, "we smashed Shadowcast's Psychomech twenty-five years ago and destroyed the schematics. As far as we know, Shadowcast hasn't built another."

"They won't risk making more freaks like us," said Andrew, "no, they've moved onto other projects."

Just then Saul raised his fist in a halting gesture, signaling everyone to stop and be quiet. Saul closed his eyes in concentration.

"What's wrong?" asked Ben, only to be shushed by Jill.

"He's listening," Andrew whispered.

"To what?" Carlos whispered.

"Not 'to what,'" Andrew replied, "'for what.'"

"Turbo jets," said Saul in a contemplative manner, "adjustable wings...VTOL craft…dead ahead…closing rapidly."

"I don't hear anything," said Chad. The next instant the faint sound of jet engines was heard over the forest ambiance.

"They're coming!" said Ben, "everyone take cover!"

"Where? We're in a forest," said Jay, "they can't see us from up there, can they?"

"They already know where we are," said Andrew, "they've been tracking us since the crash. Hell, they've tracked us since we first crossed the border."

"You knew they were tracking us?" Mal asked, "why didn't you say so?"

"What good would it have done?" Jill asked, "They can attack us whenever they wish. In fact, I'm surprised it took them this long to make their move. Fortunately for us, we have one advantage."

"High ground," said Andrew.

"He's right, we've been walking up a hill for a while now," said Aurora, "we're near the summit. Whatever Heinrich's throwing at us, it'll have to come at us from below."

"And with Saul's ear," said Jill, "we'll know exactly what direction and how fast it's coming. Speaking of which, what's the word, Saul?"

"The VTOL is accelerating," said Saul as he focused his hearing, "dropping altitude…doors opening, turning away…four heavies."

Our heroes then heard four large objects crashing into the woods ahead of them.

"What was that?" a worried Mulan asked.

"Something big, mean and coming right for us!" said Aurora as our heroes heard the four large objects hurtling through the underbrush.

"SCATTER!" shouted Andrew as the first of four massive humanoids charged, followed by the other three.

Mal rolled out of the way as one of the creatures swiped something sharp at her. Regaining her balance, she got a good look at the creature and regretted it almost instantly. It was a thing right out of a nightmare; over three meters tall, insanely muscled with six digits on each too-large hand. The creature clutched a massive sword and glared at Mal with a misshapen head with glowing yellow eyes. It bellowed at her with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and an obscenely large tongue that writhed serpentine-like and drooled saliva in anticipation of fresh meat.

Mal dodged another sword slash and glimpsed the other abominations attacking her friends. Jay, Carlos, Doug and Chad faced one slightly taller but with bigger fists and wearing metal armor covered in spikes. It had especially spiky gauntlets which it swiped at Jay and the other boys. They barely avoided impalement and shredding by the deadly gloves.

The third creature, shorter but more muscular and hefted a wooden club bigger than it was and covered in iron studs. It swung its club at Mulan, Phillip and Aurora, whom barely avoided its crushing touch.

The fourth creature was the tallest and skinniest of the lot but had four arms, each carrying a short and wickedly sharp axe, swinging them at Jill to split her in half. She easily dodged the swinging blades, moving almost as if made from rubber, while Saul tried to distract the creature with sonic attacks from his psychedelic train Stand.

Andrew stood on a fallen tree, aiming Big Bang Theory at the creature attacking Jill and fired. The psychic projectile hit the creature and made it flinch yet dealt no visible damage.

"That's not good," said a worried Andrew, "it's hide is too tough for smaller shells, and I can't risk a larger blast without hurting everyone."

He then realized that the creature attacking Jill was now rushing towards him.

"Oh, not good!" said Andrew as he jumped and ran out of the way, "not good at all!"

"Where's he going?!" Chad demanded as Andrew ran further away with the creature chasing after him. Chad then dodged gauntlet swipe that came so close to ripping his head off, it clipped a few hairs from his scalp.

"Making it easier for the rest of us, I guess," said Carlos, "but that freaky music isn't helping!"

"Just looking for the right frequency," said Saul as Soul Train darted around the area, its music shifting in pitch and tone that proved slightly disorienting to our heroes.

Mal shot a green fireball at the sword-wielding creature, yet the flames barely made it smolder, yet succeeded in making it madder. It bellowed with rage as it rushed headlong at her.

"HANG ON, MAL!" shouted Ben as he leapt from a high tree branch onto the back of the creature and stabbed at it with his sword. His blade scarcely scratched the living horror, yet succeeded in distracting it from Mal. It reached around to try and grab Ben. He jumped clear, rolled, turned around and slashed at the creature's ankle, striking and cutting through the Achilles' tendon.

The creature bellowed with raging agony as it dropped its sword and clutched at its ankle.

"They're weak in the knees!" shouted Jay after stabbing the abomination covered in spiky armor.

"The joints!" shouted Saul, "aim for the joints!"

"And the eyes!" shouted Aurora after shooting the club-wielding creature. She reloaded her crossbow as the abomination writhed in sheer torment. Phillip and Mulan rushed at the living nightmare and stabbed it in the joints, backing away as the monstrosity swung its club at them.

Mal threw a green fireball at her creature's eyes, burning them out and blinding the abomination, then charged up a bolt of purple lightning. She shot the bolt at the creature's recovered sword, the dark lightning electrocuting it. The abomination fell to the forest floor in a massive heap and didn't get back up.

Mal then looked around and saw that Phillip had dealt a death-blow to the club-wielding fiend, slamming his shield into the side of its head and breaking its skull.

At the same time, the armored creature was bleeding to death, caused by multiple cuts dealt by Jay, Carlos and Chad's attacks on the weak points in its armor. Doug finished it off by running up, pulling off its helmet and decapitating it with his axe.

"Well, that…happened," panted Ben as he and the others looked around at the now peaceful battlefield. "Everyone…alright?"

"A little scraped and bruised," said Jay, "and scared out of a few years of my life, but all in all, I think we're alright."

"Where's Andrew?" Doug asked.

Our heroes then heard a massive explosion off in the distance.

"That would be Andrew," said Jill confidently.

They ran in the direction of the explosion and found a small crater blasted out of the forest. All around were splashes of blood and bits of charred flesh and bone.

Calmly sitting on a fallen tree and picking his teeth with a splinter of wood was Andrew, slightly singed and battered but otherwise fine.

"I had to hit that thing with the equivalent of a 40mm high explosive shell," said Andrew as he stood up, "I hate to see what Heinrich has that requires a higher yield on my part."

* * *

 **…The Falcon's Next…**

"Inconceivable!" exclaimed Heinrich, "four of my most promising super soldiers and they wiped them out!"

"Guess they weren't as promising as you thought," muttered one of the security technicians. He then winced as he realized he may have just made the worst mistake in his life.

"You think you can do better?" Heinrich asked with mischievous maliciousness, "thank you for volunteering. Your bravery and patriotism is noted. Take him to processing!"

"NO! Not the processing!" exclaimed the technician as two guards grabbed him and dragged him out of the room, "I didn't mean it, Count von Karstein! Please!"

"Can't wait to see what kind of freak he turns out to be," said Wilhelm.

"Let's go watch him transform," said Frederic with wicked glee.

"No, you're not going anywhere until the job is done," said Heinrich, "send the big one."

* * *

 **…in the forest…**

"Hang on!" said Saul, "the VTOL is coming back!"

"Now what?" asked Phillip.

"It's circling around," said Saul as he closed his eyes in concentration, "and…it just dropped something…big, something very big."

Our heroes then heard a large object crash into the forest ahead of them, something even bigger than the four abominations they had just destroyed.

Before Mal and the others could take cover, a 10-meter-tall horror covered in bony plate and hefting massive fists, charged at our heroes.

Mal and the others barely dodged the abomination's rush, yet Andrew tripped on a tree root and fell down. The creature then grabbed Andrew, hefted him up and began squeezing the life out of the bespectacled Stand User. Mal could only watch as Andrew, unable to breath, silently screamed his agony as the gargantuan creature crushed his torso.

"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY HUSBAND, YOU DAMN DIRTY FIEND!" bellowed Jill as she rushed at the abomination, her body shining with Hamon as she used a fallen tree's branch as a springboard.

"SENDO WAVE KICK!" shouted Jill as he foot contacted the creature's arm, channeling Hamon into the abomination. It roared in fury as it dropped Andrew to the forest floor.

Saul's psychedelic train Stand steamed under and cushioned Andrew's fall with a blast of compressed air from its smokestack.

Meanwhile, Jay, Carlos, Doug and Chad were attempting to flank the creature and attack the joints, yet the creature's bony carapace proved impenetrable to their swords. The gargantuan nightmare then let out a malicious laugh that made our heroe's skin crawl.

The creature then swatted Chad and Carlos aside as if they were flies, then kicked Jay into a nearby tree. It then stomped on Doug and began crushing him with its foot, laughing even louder as it Doug slowly died.

"NO! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" shouted Ben as a magic aura engulfed his body, transforming him into a Beast. Roaring with unbridled fury, Beast Ben charged at the gargantuan abomination, slashing at its foot with his claws and piercing the bony carapace.

The creature bellowed with pain as it backed away from Doug. Mall dashed in and grabbed Doug to drag him to safety, while throwing another fireball at the abomination to make it back away further.

"Oh this isn't good," said Aurora as she, Phillip, Mulan, Jill and Saul helped Jay, Carlos and Chad. They looked and saw Beast Ben easily dodge the gargantuan fists and stomps, but Beast Ben's attacks did very little damage in return.

"Tell me about it," moaned Carlos, "I think I'm bleeding on the inside."

"I'm bleeding all over," groaned Chad.

"You'll be fine," said Jill, "it's him I'm worried about."

"Ben," said Aurora, "at this rate, he'll lose himself to his inner beast."

"Just how many people know about Ben's furry little problem?" Mal asked incredulously.

She then saw the gargantuan creature grab Beast Ben and slammed him to the ground. He let out a pained whimper as the creature picked him up again and threw him against a tree.

"NOOOOOOO!" exclaimed Mal as her eyes glowed green and purple smoke surrounded her body.

"Oh no!" said Jay as the smoke cleared, revealing Mal in her dragon from.

"Oh great!" said Chad as Dragon Mal took flight and breathed fire at the creature, "now they're both out of control! We gotta get out of here before they decide to attack us!"

"No, I don't believe that!" said Carlos as Doug helped him back up, "They're still Ben and Mal, they wouldn't hurt us! No matter how furry or scaly they've become."

"Maybe so," said Saul, "then again, they may not be interested in us."

Dragon Mal had succeeded in knocking down the gargantuan creature with another blast of fire. Yet instead of closing in for the kill, she saw Beast Ben get up. The two transformed teenagers looked at each other intensely as if sizing each other up.

"No, they wouldn't," said Jay, "they wouldn't attack each other, would they?"

"They don't recognize each other in this state," said Saul, "they're running on instinct and emotion, seeing each other as a threat, or a challenge to dominate. Either way, things are gonna get ugly."

But then something completely unexpected happened; Beast Ben nodded at Dragon Mal and she nodded back, as if they'd established a rapport on a deep, primal level. Beast Ben then jumped onto Dragon Mal's back and the two of them turned to face the recovering gargantuan.

"Oh, Good God!" said a shocked Saul as the transformed teenagers rushed at the gargantuan, "they're codependent!"

"Is that a bad thing?" Mulan asked as she and the others watched Beast Ben jump off Dragon Mal and latch his claws into the face of the gargantuan, while Dragon Mall bit the oversized creature's left arm, dragging it down.

"Yes and no," said Jill, "it's good that they're cooperating, but they could get stuck like this."

Before Jay or the others could inquire further, Dragon Mall succeeded in tearing off the abomination's arm, while Beast Ben clawed out its eyes. Blinded and minus a limb, the creature thrashed bout in enraged agony.

Dragon Mal and Beast Ben got out of the way of their foe's furious tirade. It was then that they did something that amazed and terrified their friends; Beast Ben and Dragon Mal glowed with magic, Dragon Mal charging up a massive fireball, while a sphere of energy formed between Beast Ben's clawed hands. Growling with righteous fury, Beast Ben aimed his hands and fired the sphere, while Dragon Mall shot her fireball. Their attacks struck the gargantuan and set it ablaze, reducing it to ashes in seconds.

The transformed teenagers let lose a double triumphant roar that resounded for miles. They then turned their animalistic eyes on their friends.

"Everyone submit!" said Saul as Dragon Mal and Beast Ben crept towards them as if stalking prey, "don't look them in the eyes. Just bow and submit!"

At that our heroes knelt on the grown with their heads bowed. Beast Ben and Dragon Mal began walking around them, occasionally sniffing and growling lowly, while Jay, Carlos and the others waited on a tense razor edge.

But finally, the two transformed teenagers backed off. With a flash of magic and puff of purple smoke, Ben and Mal resumed their human forms.

"Oh wow," said an exhausted Ben as he and Mal nearly collapsed, "I really didn't know I could do that."

"Do what?" Mal asked, "shoot magic beams or make my magic stronger?"

"And here I thought you were making me stronger," said Ben. At that he and Mal laughed.

"Oh sure, you think it's funny," complained Chad, "And here are the rest of us with serious wounds, I'll probably get gangrene or something or…"

"SHUT UP, CHAD!" shouted Jay, Carlos and Doug.

* * *

 **…The Falcon's Nest…**

"INCONCEIVABLE!" bellowed Heinrich, "UTTERLY INCONCEIVABLE!"

"I guess the mutants weren't worth all that much," said Frederic, at which he and Wilhelm giggled like idiots.

Heinrich responded by knocking the twin's heads together, "if I wanted your opinions, boys, I'd give it to you! Is that understood?!"

"Yes, Father!" said both Wilhelm and Frederic sorely.

"Bomb them!" said Heinrich as he glared at the tactical screen, "signal the VTOL craft! Bomb them! Bomb them into submission!"

* * *

 **…in the forest…**

"It's coming back!" shouted Saul as our heroes patched up their wounds, while Jill used Hamon to heal the more serious injuries, "the VTOL craft! It's coming back!"

"Oh, come on!" exclaimed Chad, "can't we have a minute to catch our breath!?"

"Gee, I wonder what new horror Heinrich has up his sleeve?" Jay asked sarcastically.

"It's coming lower, and slower," said Saul, "like they're trying to be…precise. I think they're gonna attack us from the air."

"My guess it's either a strafing run or a bomb run," said Andrew, "but I won't give them the chance!"

At that Big Bang Theory appeared on his shoulder and aimed up at the sky, "Have a taste of flack from my Stand, you bastards!" shouted Andrew, "FIRE!"

The cannon-like Stand fired an anti-aircraft shell up in the air. The shell was right on target as it exploded just in front of the VTOL craft, spraying it with shrapnel that shredding through the fuselage and damaged the engines. Trailing smoke, the doomed VTOL craft passed over our heroes and crashed further down the hill with a near deafening crunch.

"Those poor men," said Mulan as our heroes saw smoke from the wreckage rise, "they were only following orders."

"You do know they were trying to kill us, right?" Aurora asked.

"So did The Huns," said Mulan, "they were following orders from Shan Yu, he was the real evil in the war. Just as Heinrich is the real evil in this war."

"Then it's official," said Ben, "Transdoria and Auradon are at war."

"Then let's end the war before anyone else gets hurt," said Mal, "let's go save our friends and stop Heinrich."

"Uh, in case you haven't noticed, Mal," said Chad, "I'm in no condition to…OWW! Watch it, will you?!"

"Oh, don't be such a baby," said Jill as she attempted to channel Hamon into Chad's wounded torso, "seriously, you're way too sensitive." Clamping one hand on Chad's mouth so she wouldn't be bothered by his screams, Jill placed her other hand on his midsection, sending golden energy into his injured torso.

"Don't look at me, Chad," said Ben as he saw Chad's pleading eyes, "it's not my fault you can't take your medicine."

"Hey, look at this," said Doug as he picked up a piece of slightly charred metal that turned out to be a digital camera, "it must have been on the aircraft. And…yes, it's still transmitting data."

"They can see us," said Mal as she, Ben, Saul, Andrew, Mulan and Phillip looked into the camera lens, "I'll bet Heinrich's watching us right now."

Aurora grabbed the camera and glared into it, "Give me back my daughter, you monster!" With that she threw the camera at a nearby rock. The camera burst apart, the lens shattering to pieces.

* * *

 **…The Falcon's Nest…**

With a bellow of unbridled fury, Heinrich smashed the static-filled hologram projector with a metal bar, then proceeded to smash several computers and display monitors.

"Father seems a trifle irked," said Wilhelm as he and Fredric cowered in one corner, while the security technicians, fearful of Heinrich's destructive tirade, occupied the other corners.

"Uh-duh!" said Fredric.

"THOSE BRATS!" yelled Heinrich, "THOSE INSOLENT, IMPUDENT BRATS! HOW DARE THEY!? HOW DARE THEY!?"

It was then that a woman in her late 40's with long, slightly graying brown hair in a braid her left side and wearing very large glasses that magnified her hazel eyes, wearing an orange blouse and skirt beneath a white lab coat, walked in. Closer inspection would reveal metal implants on the right side of her head and face, while her right hand was a cybernetic prosthesis. A tag on her lab coat spore the name 'Dr. Orange.'

"Dear me, what an outburst," she said offhandedly as she looked at the chaos in the room.

"Dr. Orange," said Heinrich as he calmed down and dropped the metal bar with a loud clang on the floor. "I…I seem to have lost my temper."

"To say the least," remarked Dr. Orange, "and here I was hoping to deliver a progress report on Project Steel Claw, Count von Karstein. But since you're in no condition for company, I'll take my leave and come back when you're in a more agreeable mood."

"No, stay," Heinrich insisted, "it's just been a long day. About Project Steel Claw?"

"Steel Claw?" asked both Wilhelm and Frederic, "which one is that?"

"The power mech project," said Dr. Orange, "and I'm happy to report that the Mark 1 Steel Claw prototype is ready for field testing."

"Is it now?" Heinrich asked. He then smiled wickedly, "well, I have the perfect target for a shakedown. Do we still have telemetry on the intruders?"

"Uh…yes, Count von Karstein," said one of the security technicians nervously as he hurried to activate a backup hologram projector, which showed the twelve blips representing Ben, Mal and the others, slowly moving through the forest again.

"Then prepare Steel Claw for combat," said Heinrich, "and Dr. Orange, don't disappoint me."

"I have nothing but the best expectations for Project Steel Claw, Count von Karstein," said Dr. Orange as she bowed gracefully, "you won't be disappointed." With that she walked out of the room.

"Robots, I don't like robots," said Fredric.

"Nah, robots are cool," said Wilhelm.

"No, they're not," said Frederic.

"Yes, they are!" Wilhelm insisted.

"If you two are going to bicker, do it where it won't bother me," said Heinrich irately, "why don't you two go do something constructive for a change?"

"Okay, we will," said both twins, "uh…what should we do?"

It was then that an utterly despicable idea occurred to Heinrich, "go fetch your brides-to-be. It's time they learned once and for all they have no hope in defying me."

* * *

"Okay, here's the plan," said Evie as she and Lonnie sharpened bits of a broken wood table into shivs, "as soon as we're ready to go, Elisabeth will take us through the secret passages to the castle's VTOL port. We'll grab a pilot and make him take us back to Auradon. I know, it's a terrible plan but if anyone else has a better one, I'm all ears."

"Sorry, I've got nothing," said Lonnie.

"At least we agree on one thing, Evie," said Audrey as she fashioned a table leg into a club, "this is a terrible plan."

"At least it's a plan," said Jane, "look on the bright side; it's so terrible, it might just work."

"True," said Audrey, "it's about time we're due for some good luck. I'm just sorry Elisabeth won't come with us. This is no life for her. She deserves to be in a better place, far away from her terrible family."

"I agree, but she's adamant about staying," said Evie, "her condition…"

"There's treatment for her condition!" Audrey insisted, "I can't think of if right now, but I'm sure there's a way for her to walk in the daylight without her skin burning. She shouldn't have to suffer like this forever!"

"Wow, Audrey," said an impressed Lonnie, "you're actually being selfless for a change."

"I…I guess I am," said an astonished Audrey, "it's just…there's no reason Elisabeth should endure such cruelty anymore, not when we can help her be happy."

Just then the girls heard footsteps outside the door.

"Change of plans," whispered Evie, "Audrey, hit whoever comes through that door! We're getting out of here now!"

"Righto!" said Audrey as she got in position near the door as they heard keys rattling in the lock. The door swung open and Audrey slammed her club at Wilhelm. Due to the fact he was much taller than her, the club hit him below the shoulder and made him stagger a few paces yet was otherwise unharmed.

"Seriously!?" exclaimed Wilhelm as he spun around and glared at Audrey, "this is the second time you got the best of me, my future bride," He then grabbed Audrey by the wrist and twisted her arm almost to the breaking point. Audrey screamed as she dropped her club and fell to her knees.

"I oughta tear your arm right out of the socket!" shouted Wilhelm.

"NO!" shouted Evie as she and Lonnie rushed at Wilhelm with their shivs, only for Frederic to grab them both.

"Now, now, girls," said Frederic with a sadistic smile, "if you can't learn to behave, you'll all get a good spanking."

"What's going on?" asked Stefan as he walked in, "Father asked me to keep an eye on you two."

"We're just disciplining our future brides!" said Wilhelm as he held the agonized Audrey down, "it's time we broke their spirits!"

"I agree," said Stefan, "but not like this. Father told me what he has planned and wants them to witness what's to come. Now bring them, unharmed, unless you want me to go back to Father and tell him you're defying his orders."

"Whatever you say, big brother," said Wilhelm. He released Audrey and she gasped in relief, clutching her assaulted arm with the other. Her respite was short-lived as Wilhelm grabbed and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of flower and carried her out of the room, while Frederic dragged the struggling Evie and Lonnie along.

"Do I have to get rough with you?" Stefan asked Jane.

"Uh…no, I'll come," said Jane nervously as she followed the others. Stefan walked out of the room, unaware that Elisabeth had seen the entire episode through her spy port.

* * *

"And if you'll follow me this way," said Adriane as Uma, Harry and Gil trailed after her through the castle corridors, "we'll soon reach the nerve center of Shadowcast's operations and…Oh! Master Stefan!"

"Ms. van Garrett," said Stefan, "I was unaware you were back from Auradon," he looked at the trio of teenage pirates, "and with friends no less."

"Stop Struggling!" snapped Frederic as he manhandled Evie and Lonnie through the corridor, with Jane following them submissively, "oh, Ms. Van Garret, hi there."

"Wait, what's going on?" asked Gil as he saw Evie and Lonnie, "what are they doing here?"

"Uma?!" exclaimed Lonnie and Evie.

"Uma?" asked Audrey from over Wilhelm's shoulder, "Uma's here? Where? I can't see!"

"Well, well, well," said Uma as she smiled wickedly, "what an unexpected twist. What brings you girls to this cove of the sea?"

"We've been kidnaped, terrorized and tortured," said Lonnie, "what does it look like?"

"It looks like you lot are teetering over the edge of the plank," said Harry, "with a cutlass point at your back and a shoal of sharks below."

"Yeah, that pretty sums it up," said Jane.

"So, you all know each other," said Stefan, "it matters not. Father awaits his future daughters-in-laws to attend to him."

"Wait, what?" asked Uma, "you four are getting married?"

"Yes, to my brothers," said Stefan.

"WE ARE NOT!" shouted Evie, Lonnie, Jane and Audrey in tandem.

At that Uma and Harry began laughing like they had just heard the funniest joke in the world. Gil soon joined them, mostly out of not wanting to look more stupid than he already was.

"Enough already, Father is getting impatient!" said Stefan.

"Yes, we must go see Count von Karstein," said Adriane. She looked at Uma, Harry and Gil, "it's time you met the man with the checkbook."

A short time later found everyone back in the tactical room, hastily repaired from Heinrich's outburst.

"Count von Karstein," said Adriane as he bowed respectfully.

"Ah, Adriane," said Heinrich, "If I'd known you had return, I'd had welcomed you back personally. Needless to say, you are most welcome home." He then looked at the trio of teenage pirates, "friends of yours?"

"Of a sort," said Adriane, "may I present three courageous buccaneers from The Isle of The Lost, whom have been most helpful in Shadowcast's efforts in Auradon; Uma, daughter of Ursula, Harry Hook, scion of Captain Hook and Gil, spawn of Gaston. Everyone, this is Shadowcast's employer, Count Heinrich von Karstein."

"Nice to meet you," said Uma, "nice castle you've got, a little high up, though."

"My many times great-grandfather chose this aerie as his power base," said Heinrich, "and it is from here I shall launch my campaign to dominate the world."

"The heck you will!" shouted Evie, "it's only a matter of time before Mal, Ben and the others come! They'll make you pay for your sick, twisted crimes!"

"I'm glad you brought up your friends," said Heinrich, "for they are in fact already in Transdoria."

The hologram projector showed an image, taken from a hidden camera in the woods, of Mal, Ben and the others.

"Oh great ancestors!" exclaimed Lonnie as she saw Mulan, "my mom's coming!"

"And so are my parents!" said Audrey as she saw Aurora and Phillip, then frowned when she saw who else was in the rescue party "oh, and Chad's coming too, lovely."

"Who are those three?" asked Jane as she saw Andrew, Jill and Saul, "wait, weren't they at the party?"

"Oh for crying out loud!" said Adriane as she saw Andrew, Jill and Saul, "I thought Joy Division wasn't involved! Just great, I'll have to tell the others to expect major trouble."

"So, they're part of the rejects who've been flies in your ointment for so long," said Heinrich, "well, they'll soon be swatted away, permanently."

It was then that Dr. Orange walked back into the room, carrying a large tablet displaying data, "Count von Karstein, I'm happy to report that Steel Claw is on its way."

"Outstanding, Dr. Orange," said Heinrich. He then looked at Evie, "your friends have thwarted my efforts to dispose of them, but no more. This time they're finished," he then glared at Dr. Orange, "aren't they?"

"I stake my reputation on it," said Dr. Orange.

At that Jane stepped forward with a contemplative look on her face, "I know you from somewhere."

Dr. Orange glared at Audrey for a second, then shook her head, "you must be mistaken, child, we've never met."

"No, I do know you," said Jane as realization struck her, "I do know you! You're Edwina Xandrand!"

"My gosh, you're right!" said an astonished Audrey, "it's her!"

"But that's impossible," said Lonnie, "she died fifteen years ago!"

"What are you talking about?" Evie asked.

"Edwina Xandrand," said Jane, "vice chairperson of The Technocrat Rebellion."

"That was a long time ago," said Dr. Orange coldly, "now I recognize you; you're Fairy Godmother's brat. You visited me in the hospital before I took a turn for the worse."

"Would someone explain to me what's going on?" asked Uma.

"It was just after Belle and Beast got married," said Jane, "while they and the other Heroes, Princes and Princesses were organizing Auradon, they appealed to a council of the best and brightest minds in the realms for help. A lot of scientists and scholars joined in, but more than a few refused."

"They didn't want a monarchy," said Lonnie, "even one as good as the one our parents created. They wanted a society run by elite minds and governed by logic and scientific reasoning; a Technocracy."

"After Maleficent and the other villains were banished to The Isle, most of the Technocrats left Auradon to start over somewhere else," said Jane, "but a few remained to usurp the kingdom and take over themselves. Their rebellion was brief but bloody on both sides; with the rebel Technocrats using robots and primitive cyborgs as their army.

"But their most powerful weapon was the most terrifying of all, more terrifying than anything Maleficent did before. They had a war machine of horrifying destructive power and was nearly indestructible itself; Metal Gear."

"And it would have crushed Auradon and all those monarchist morons!" snapped Dr. Orange, "my marvelous machine, my Metal Gear, it would have taken on the world and made the world bow in submission!"

"Wait, I don't get it," said Evie, "no one told me about some war with scientists and a giant robot."

"It's not something we like to talk about," said Jane, "anyway, our parents combined their strengths and courage and stopped the rebellion and destroyed Metal Gear before it could destroy Auradon."

"Strength and courage my eye!" snapped Dr. Orange, "it was an act of cowardly sabotage that destroyed my marvelous machine! That and sheer dumb luck that I overlooked a critical weakness in the robot. It didn't help that I was practically right next to Metal Gear when it blew up."

She glared at Jane, "I spent five years in hospital, mourning my fallen colleagues and planning revenge, all the while your mother visited me practically every day. She hoped I would renounce my wicked ways and use my brilliance for good. She even brought you along to use you as an appeal to my humanity."

"What? No!" said Jane, "my mother didn't use me! She brought me along to help cheer you up."

"She used you," said Dr. Orange, "and not just against me but against you. She tried to impress upon your immature mind the consequence of unchecked ambition." She walked right up to Jane, whom flinched back a pace, "the sight of my scars did more than teach you a lesson, didn't it. It made you lose practically all ambition to become your own self, turning you into a mousy wallflower. Well, I'm glad you grew out of it and developed a backbone of sorts."

"Yes, this is all well and done," said Heinrich impatiently, "but I have invaders to crush. How soon until Steel Claw reaches the targets?"

"Soon, Count von Karstein," said Dr. Orange as the tactical hologram showed a new VTOL traveling towards our heroes, "soon, you and everyone else here will see my mechanical marvel in action."

* * *

 **…in the forest…**

Our heroes, sore and tired from battling the abominable mutants, dauntlessly trudged onwards to The Falcon's Nest.

"As soon as we rescue Audrey and the others," said Phillip, "we're having a family vacation as far from trees as possible."

"And with as little violence as possible," said Aurora.

"To live life without violence is an admirable goal," said Saul, "but alas, violence is a part of human nature, for without violence, one would not know what peace was. Such is the nature of human nature."

"Unless you're not a 100% human to begin with," said Chad as he cautiously eyed Ben and Mal, "then you're in a whole other class."

"It was still cool how Ben and Mal teamed up like that," said Jay, "it's like…like…I don't know what it's like."

"I've never seen anything like that before," said Mulan, "seriously, Mal, you and Ben make a heck of a team."

"Well duh!" said Carlos, grinning as he saw how embarrassed Ben and Mal looked, "they're like soul mates or something."

"More like their transformed states understood each other," said Jill, "that they've agreed to cooperate on an instinctive level."

"What are you talking about?" Ben asked, "what instincts?"

"Your animalistic instincts," said Jill, "you in your Beast form and Mal in her Dragon form, they reached out to each other and established a rapport. It's not uncommon in nature for different species to cooperate."

"Really?" asked Mal, "I didn't know that."

"It's true," said Aurora, "growing up in the forest with Flora, Fauna and Merryweather, I saw all sorts of animals work together."

"Yeah, Snow White's animal friends helped her keep the Dwarf's cottage clean," said Doug.

"I'm not talking about the power of a pure heart reaching out to animals," said Jill, "though that is a great power. No, I'm talking about cooperation across animal races. For example, ravens have been known to lead wolf packs to prey, then feed on the carrion. Badgers and coyotes would hunt burrowing rodents. Bottlenose Dolphins would hunt together with False Killer Whales, and this one time, I heard of a fish teaming up with an octopus to hunt smaller fish on a coral reef. And let's not forget the smaller fish that hang around sharks; they clean the sharks of dead skin and parasites while the sharks protect them from other predators."

"Well, aren't you a wealth of knowledge," said Aurora.

"I'm not that smart," said Jill, "not when it comes to animals. No, if you want an expert on animals, talk to Gillian, she's Joy Division's head animal wrangler. She's the one who makes sure the circus' animals are well care for in a way that keeps all the animal activists from freaking out about animal cruelty."

"Gee, I wonder how you pulled that off," said Chad sarcastically.

"You are one big wet blanket, you know that?" Jill asked.

"I'm a what?" asked a confused Chad.

"You know, a wet blanket," said Jill, "a killjoy, a downer, a malcontent."

"Huh?" asked Chad.

"You're one big, fat party pooper," said Jill coldly, "what are you even doing here?"

Before Chad could reply, Saul raised his fist to silence everyone.

"Oh come on!" exclaimed Jay, "now what?"

"Another VTOL craft?" Jill asked.

"No, it's something else," said Saul as he listened with his eyes closed, "something smaller, but…faster, and…I don't know what it is, but it's coming this way."

Everyone then heard something large and metallic crashing into the trees ahead of them.

"What fresh hell has Heinrich sent against us this time?" Phillip asked as he and the others braced themselves for another fight. Our heroes heard crashing trees as whatever was charging towards them accelerated. The trees in front of them were smashed as a 6-meter tall humanoid, steel-gray robot with four arms, the upper pair armed with laser cannons, and a head full of teeth sharper than razors.

"Oh my GOD!" exclaimed Aurora in sheer terror, "it's another Metal Gear!"

Before Mal or her friends could inquire, the metal monstrosity fired its laser cannons at them, missing them by inches. Mal felt part of her hair singe as one of the beams passed overhead.

"RUN!" shouted Phillip, "run for your lives!"

"Why?" asked Jay, "why run? We can take this thing!"

"No, we can't!" said Mulan, "we can't fight it! We need to run! Now!"

"What's a Metal Gear?" asked Carlos as the mecha adjusted its aim.

"A combat robot of great destructive power," said Jill, "I heard about it but…" that's as far as she got before ducking another beam of death from Steel Claw, "I agree, we can't fight it! It's too strong! Run away! Run away!"

* * *

 **…The Falcon's Nest…**

"Yes! Run!" exclaimed Dr. Orange with wicked delight as she watched the battle unfold on the tactical display, enraptured at the sight of our heroes fleeing from Steel Claw "run from my mechanical miracle and despair!" she then laughed like the mad scientist she was.

"I'm not impressed, Dr. Orange," said Heinrich, "you assured me your metal monster would destroy the invaders. So far all it's done is make them run away."

"Run away in terror, Count von Karstein," said Dr. Orange with a wicked grin, "but fret not, for Steel Claw shall prove itself in due course."

"Don't count on it!" said Evie defiantly, "Mal and the others, they'll recycle your machine into scrap metal!"

"Then why are they running away?" asked a deviously delighted Uma.

"Uh, they're just looking for a better place to fight?" Evie suggested.

"Nope, they're afraid," said Uma.

"That guy isn't afraid," said Gil as he pointed at the display, which showed Andrew looking at Steel Claw. He stood calmly, a look of puzzlement on his face as the mecha skulked towards him.

"He's resigned himself to his doom!" said Dr. Orange, "he saw the awesome power of my machine and wishes to submit to its destructive force!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," said a somewhat nervous Adriane, "That's Andrew Carpenter, the de facto leader of Joy Division and overall thorn in Shadowcast's side. He's always got a trick or two up his sleeves."

"Either that or he's crazy," said Uma, "or just plain stupid."

* * *

 **…in the forest…**

"Is he crazy or just plain stupid?!" exclaimed Jay as he and the others took cover behind an outcropping of rock. Jay had peered around the rock and saw Andrew standing his ground before Steel Claw.

"I sometimes wonder that myself," said Saul.

"No, he's got a plan," said Jill, "my husband, despite his eccentricities, he always has a plan."

"You know, you remind me of something," said Andrew calmly as he pointed at Steel Claw, at which Mal, Jill and the others nearly fell over in flabbergasted surprise.

"Seriously, you look very familiar," said Andrew, clearly unconcerned that Steel Claw was less than ten paces from him, "I saw you somewhere before, long, long ago, like when I was a kid. Did I see you on TV?"

"Andrew Davidson Carpenter!" exclaimed Jill, "get your sorry ass out of there before you get yourself killed!"

"Help me out here, Jill," said Andrew as he looked over his shoulder at his wife, "doesn't this guy look familiar?" He then gasped in surprise as Steel Claw gripped him with one of its free hands and lifted him up.

"Well, he's dead," said Chad, "it was nice knowing him."

"Shut up, Chad!" shouted Ben, "we've got to help him!" with that he ran out from behind the rock and rushed at Steel Claw.

"Tell me he's not pulling a Leeroy Jenkins," said Saul. Ben then slammed his sword into one of Steel Claw's legs, barely scratching the mecha but succeeded in getting its attention. Steel Claw aimed and fired its blasters at Ben, whom easily dodged it.

"It's aim is off!" shouted Ben as he dodged another barrage of laser fire, "Come on, you guys! We can take this thing!"

"He's right, we can do it!" shouted Aurora, "let's get it!"

"Yeah! Let's get it!" shouted Jay. With that he and the others rushed at Steel Claw, easily dodging the laser blasts as they closed in. Unfortunately, all their efforts to damage the mecha resulted in mere scratches on its exterior.

* * *

 **…The Falcon's Nest…**

"Your machine is a failure, Dr. Orange!" shouted Heinrich.

"I have to agree," said Adriane, "it can't shoot the broad side of a barn."

"The landing impact and trees must have compromised its aim," said Dr. Orange, "I'll have to compensate for such eventualities in the next model. This is the prototype, after all." She then saw how irately Heinrich was glaring at her, "But that doesn't mean it's not still capable of carrying out the mission!"

She then went to a computer terminal, "I am switching Steel Claw combat mode from long range to hand-to-hand. Its firepower may be off its aim, but nothing can withstand it's awesome power! Nothing!"

* * *

 **…in the forest…**

Steel Claw abruptly dropped its laser cannons and lunged at Jill with its three free hands, grasping for her to rip her to shreds, while still holding onto Andrew. Jill dodged the worst of the attack, but her jacket was ripped apart and three bloody lines appeared on her back through her shirt.

"I know I know you from somewhere," said Andrew, "this is gonna drive me crazy."

"You're already nuts!" shouted Jay as he and the others were forced away from Steel Claw's slashing talons.

"Hey, can you blame me for being curious?" Andrew asked.

"He's gonna get himself killed," said Chad, "along with the rest of us."

"Good god, could you be a bigger wet blanket?!" Jill demanded.

"Yeah, Chad, stop it," said Ben, "it's bad enough the enemy is trying to kill us, we don't need you dragging us down with your bad mood."

"My mood is my business and not yours, Ben!" said Chad irately, "enemy or no enemy, how I feel is my business!"

"Wait! That's It!" exclaimed Andrew as smiled with sudden joy and snapped his fingers, "I remember now! NM-E!" Andrew then looked at Jill and the others, "it's NM-E!"

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?!" an exasperated Jill asked.

"NM-E!" said Andrew, "from the Ultraforce cartoon from when I was a kid! Seriously, am I the only one here who watched cartoons on Saturday and Sunday mornings?"

* * *

 **…The Falcon's Nest…**

"You based your weapon of mass destruction on a cartoon character?!" Audrey asked incredulously.

"I did not!" snapped Dr. Orange, "I would never do something so callously senseless. Making a mecha based on a cartoon character. Why, I never…!"

"Um…actually, Dr. Orange," said Adriane as she looked something up on her phone, "there is a striking resemblance between your robot and the character in question. She showed a picture on her phone of the cartoon version of NM-E, then compared it to a holographic image of Steel Claw, "like I said, a striking resemblance."

"Oh yeah, they're similar," said Wilhelm, at which Frederic nodded in agreement.

"They are not!" exclaimed Dr. Orange, "for one thing, my marvelous machine has a short-range Abremalin field projector, otherwise known as an Anti-Magic field. You see, it was Fairy Godmother who destroyed my Metal Gear twenty years ago."

"My mom stopped it?" asked an amazed Jane, "she never told me that!"

* * *

 **…In The forest…**

"So it was FG who stopped a mecha 20 years ago?" Ben asked as he, Aurora and Phillip stood out of range of Steel Claw's slashing talons, while Jay, Mulan and Mal distracted it.

"She did," said Aurora, "Metal Gear was almost unstoppable. No weapon we had at the time could damage that metal monstrosity. Even magic didn't work, it only slowed it down. There was talk about asking the villains for help but what good would that have done?

"So Fairy Godmother did the unthinkable; she used her magic for, in her eyes, an act of evil. She turned the full power of her wand on Meta Gear and blew it to pieces."

"How is stopping a rampaging weapon of mass destruction evil?" Ben asked.

"The blast destroyed not only Metal Gear," said Phillip, "it killed several of the Technocrat rebels and left one badly burned. Fairy Godmother never forgave herself for the harm she caused."

"So that's why she's so against magic," said Ben in a stunned tone. He shook his head as if clearing it of troubling thoughts, "I can't worry about that right now. If magic stopped the first Metal Gear, it can stop this one! Mal!"

"What do you think I've been doing!?" shouted Mal as she stood with one hand engulfed with green fire, the other crackling with purple lightning. She threw a fireball and blasted it with a bolt of lightning, yet both attacks dissolved just before they hit Steel Claw.

"I'm blasting it with everything I've got but nothing works!" said Mal.

"It has an Anti-Magic field," said Andrew, "quite genius, I'm forced to admit."

"Are you just gonna lay there in that thing's embrace all day or are you gonna do something!?" Jill demanded as she made an uncomfortable Chad bandage her wounded back.

"And just what do you expect me to do trussed up like this?!" Andrew shouted, "that thing's got me pinned in its grip!"

"You have one free hand, right?" Mal asked, "and you've got a gun, right?"

"You're right, I do have a free hand," said an astonished Andrew, "and I am packing!" with that he drew his .475 pistol from its holster and aimed it at Steel Claw's head, "'Widley's Here!'"

Andrew pulled the trigger and fired, the pistol letting lose a near-deafening blast and piercing the machine's chassis, yet the only damage was a .457-sized hole.

"Well, that was a big help," said Chad sarcastically.

"If you keep putting out negative vibes like that, man," said an irate Saul, "you'll find yourself all alone in the world."

"THAT'S IT! VIBES!" shouted Andrew, "VIBES!"

"Vibes?" asked a confused Mal.

"Yes, vibes," said Andrew, "vibrations! Saul, make that thing vibrate!"

"Oh, I get it now," said Saul. At that Soul Train appeared and coasted towards Steel Claw, letting loose a cacophony of psychedelic soundwaves as it flew around the malicious mecha.

* * *

 **…The Falcon's Nest…**

"Foolish fool!" exclaimed Dr. Orange, "as if music can harm my magnificent machine! Play your discourteous disco tracks all you want, I'll remember to play it at your funeral!"

"Uh…Dr. Orange?" one of the security technicians asked nervously, "there's a disruption in the signal."

"What?!" demanded Dr. Orange.

"It's that sound," said the technician, "it's interrupting the control signal to Steel Claw!"

"No! Impossible!" exclaimed Dr. Orange as she rushed to a computer terminal and typed furiously.

"I don't get it," said Uma, "how's music stopping that metal monster from crushing Mal and the others."

"You really aren't as smart as you think you are, Uma," said Evie, "Dr. Orange, or Edwina or whoever she is, she's controlling her mecha from here wirelessly. Without that signal, she can't tell the robot what to do."

"Oh, right," said Uma, "oh, wait, wouldn't that make the robot go out of control and make things worse for Ben and Mal?"

"OMG, I think she's right," said a worried Lonnie, "what if the robot goes berserk?"

"Ooh, wouldn't that be a sight to see," said a maliciously delighted Wilhelm, while Frederic giggled like the sadistic creep he was.

"Well, Dr. Orange?" Heinrich asked impatiently, "will your machine go out of control?"

"Of course not, Count von Karstein," said Dr. Orange, "there's no chance of it going out of control. I didn't program Steel Claw to act on its own, it responds only to my will, that's why the control signal is so important. Oh…oh crap, the signal's completely blocked. Oh, this is not good, not good at all," she then smiled viciously, "then again, there's always a silver lining to…"

That's as far as Dr. Orange got before Heinrich grabbed her by the throat and hefted her in the air.

"You've failed me!" exclaimed Heinrich as he choked the squirming Dr. Orange, "now you shall pay the price of failure!"

"Count von Karstein, please!" exclaimed Adriane, "she didn't fail! She said…"

"She said her machine would destroy the invaders!" said Heinrich, "they still live!"

"They…they'll…still die!" gasped Dr. Orange, "Steel…Claw…failsafe…!"

"Please, give her one more chance, Count von Karstein!" pleaded Adriane.

"Very well," said Heinrich as he dropped the nearly unconscious Dr. Orange. She fell to the floor, coughing and gasping for air, "but know this; fail again, and I'll personally throw her off the escarpment, and you too, Ms. Adriane, for your association."

"I assure you, that won't be necessary," said Adriane as she helped Dr. Orange back up, "won't it, Dr. Orange?"

"Of course not," said Dr. Orange in a raspy voice, "Steel Claw as a failsafe in such a scenario as this; a failsafe that will activate if Steel Claw is disconnected from the control signal for more than five minutes, or endures a significant amount of damage, all to avoid capture by enemy forces."

"Dr. Orange!" exclaimed another technician, "Steel Claw is taking damage to its limbs and head!"

"It can't move, so Mal and the others are looking for a weakness," said Lonnie.

"But…if what Edwina said was true," said a worried Jane, "then…"

"Then let's hope they get out of there before whatever happens happens," said Audrey.

* * *

 **…In The Forest…**

"What are we still doing here?" asked Chad as he watched Andrew, Ben, Mal and the others shoot and stab Steel Claw, "that thing stopped moving, so why aren't we running away from it? And why is that crazy train still playing its crazy music?"

"I'll make it simple so even a child could understand it," said Jill, "Saul's Stand found the right frequency to jam the control signal for that mecha, rendering it immobile. But the moment the music stops, the signal will resume, and the machine reactivates."

"We have to destroy it here and now!" said Ben as he, Mulan and Phillip attacked Steel Claw's, hoping to pry open part of the outer chassis, while Mal, Jay, Carlos and Doug damaged the limbs, "it'll keep coming after us if we run!"

"Hang on, I think we've got something!" said Mulan as they succeeded in opening the head, exposing the inner circuitry.

"Okay, so now what?" asked Phillip, "I don't know anything about robots or how to turn one off."

"When in doubt, start smashing," said Mal as she rushed up and raised her sword.

"Wait!" said Andrew, "it may be booby trapped against tampering. Those wires and circuits could be electrified." At that Big Bang Theory appeared on his shoulder, "everyone back away from it!"

Not wanting to argue, Ben, Mal and the other retreated a safe distance from the mecha. Andrew aimed his artillery Stand and fired a psychic shell into the exposed circuitry. There was a terrific blast as the head blew completely off the main body, which fell in a heap and remained motionless as scrap metal.

"Well, that happened," said Ben as he and the others gathered around the disabled machine.

"Eh, it wasn't so tough," said Chad smugly. He kicked one of the limbs, then winced and hopped on one foot, clutching the other that now sported a sore toe.

"Serves you right, you…" said Doug, whom then frowned in slight confusion, "does anyone beside me hear a beeping?"

"No, I don't!" said Chad as he leaned against a downed tree, "I'm in too much pain to hear anything!"

"It's just a bruise, man," said Jay, "hey, wait, I hear a beeping too."

"Me too," said Mal, while Ben and the others nodded in agreement, "it's coming from…"

"From the mecha," said Ben, "I think it's getting louder."

"And faster," said Doug. Understanding struck him like a bullet to the bone, "Holy shiitake mushrooms! We gotta get out of here right now!"

"Huh!?" asked Chad, just as the remains of Steel Claw exploded.

 _ **…to be continued**_


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"We should receive the signal any moment now, Count von Karstein," said one of the security technicians.

"Very well," said Heinrich as he glared at Dr. Orange, whom was sitting with a giddy look on her face, "soon we shall see if your failsafe is all it's cracked up to be."

Several minutes had passed since the display from the hologram projectors went out, horrifying Evie and her friends and delighting Dr. Orange to no end. The mad mecha maker all but danced on air at the supposed destruction of Steel Claw, conceitedly crowing that the machine's power core had exploded with the equivalent of a 10-kiloton warhead. Evie, Lonnie, Jane and Audrey were so distraught and outraged at Dr. Orange's statement, they attempted to rush and murder her.

Regrettably, Karl and Gustav had arrived in the security room in time to help restrain Evie and the others. The girls now sat with their unsolicited fiancé's holding them in place.

"You won't be disappointed, Count von Karstein!" giggled Dr. Orange, "there's no chance the intruders survived Steel Claw's self-destruct protocol."

"You're lying!" exclaimed Evie as she struggled against Gustav's unwanted grip, "There's no way Mal and the others would let themselves go out like that!"

"Keep saying that to yourself," said Karl, "maybe it'll come true, but I doubt it."

"Face it, your friends are toast," said Wilhelm, "hell, they're not even toast, they're not even ashes! I'll bet there's nothing left!"

"You'll let us go if they're alive?" asked Audrey hopefully.

At that the sons of Heinrich paused and looked at each other, unsure of how to respond. Finally, Gustav spoke, "why not? Yeah, if your friends are still alive, we'll let you go back to Auradon, and you'll never see us again."

"GUSTAV!" snapped Heinrich.

"It's okay, Father," said Gustav, "they're not going anywhere."

"They'd better not," said Heinrich. He then glared at Dr. Orange again, "because if I have to give up my future daughters-in-law because of your incompetence, I'll use the top half of your skull as a soup bowl and the bottom half as an ashtray!"

"But…you don't smoke, Count von Karstein," said a slightly nervous Dr. Orange.

"Madam, that is precisely beside the point," said Heinrich.

"Incoming transmission, Count von Karstein!" shouted one of the security technicians.

The hologram display projected a scene of utter devastation. An aerial view of the forest revealed acres upon acres of felled trees, blasted down by the explosion's shockwave. The camera flew past the fallen wood, encountering a large area full of smoldering trees all but incinerated and reduced to blackened stumps.

Even this hellish display paled in comparison to what lay in the center of the desolated area; a large crater around which lay nothing but ash.

"That crater is the final testament of the Mark 1 Steel Claw prototype!" said an overjoyed Dr. Orange, "Do you see, Count von Karstein!? Do you see?!"

"Yes, I see," said Heinrich, "but are there any life signs?"

"There's nothing on the motion sensors," said another security technician, "nothing at all. It's inconceivable that the intruders could have ran far enough to survived. They are dead, Count von Karstein, undeniably dead!"

"YES! YES!" shouted Gustav with vile glee, "I WIN! I WIN! I WIN!" at that he danced a jig of triumph and was soon joined by his brothers.

"You mean _I_ won!" said Heinrich coldly, cowing his sons into submission.

"Oh, yes, of course, Father," said Gustav, "you won."

"Who cares who bloomin' won?!" exclaimed Harry, "Ben, Mal and everyone else with them have finally walked the plank!"

"And we didn't even have to kill them," said Gil, "ain't that right, Uma? Uma?"

"So, they're really gone," said Uma in a disappointed tone, "shame. I really wanted to be the one who finished them off."

"No, you're wrong," said a distraught Evie, "they're not dead!"

"It can't be true," said Lonnie as tears fell from her eyes, while Jane leaned against her shoulder, sobbing her heart out.

"Face it, bitches," said Wilhelm, "they're dead and you can't do anything about it!"

At that Audrey glared at Wilhelm with such unbridled hatred, he flinched and backed away apace.

"What?" Wilhelm asked as he regained his composure, "you got something to say?"

Audrey said nothing as he kept her eyes locked on Wilhelm, eyes that flared with blistering wrath.

"I think she's in shock from the loss of her friends," said Frederic, "a good slap to the face oughta cure her of that."

"No need," said Heinrich, "I'm in far too good a mood to delve out punishments. Far from it, I feel like celebrating. We do have a quadruple engagement to announce, so why not do so in style? PREPARE FOR AN ENGAGEMENT/VICTORY BALL!" With that he strutted out of the room.

"Oh no, Father's in one of his moods again," sighed Karl.

"Throwing a party to celebrate the murder of innocent people," said Lonnie, "yeah, that's a good mood for him."

"You'll soon learn to just go along with Father's whims," said Karl coldly, "or else," he looked at Jane, whom flinched, shielding her wounded hand behind her back, "or else what happened to you will seem like a mere feather tickle." He looked at a nearby servant, "take my future bride and in-laws back to their rooms to prepare for tonight's ball."

"I'd better get ready as well," said Dr. Orange, "which is what I would say if there wasn't so much more to do!"

"You killed my friends," said Lonnie as she, Jane, Audrey and Evie were escorted out, "you killed my mom, what more do you want?"

"To get started on the Mark 2 Steel Claw, of course!" said Dr. Orange, "and make ready for mass production, for if one Steel Claw could do all of that," she pointed at the hologram of the devastated forest, "imagine what an army of Steel Claws can do to the rest of the world!?" With that she left the room, cackling like the mad scientist she was.

"Well, that's just great," said Adriane as she, Uma, Harry and Gil left the room, "what a disappointment."

"I know," said Uma, "now I'll never get my revenge."

"Screw your revenge!" snapped Adriane, "what about me?! If Orange has her way, it'll be her project that supplies von Karstein's ambitions for world domination! I'll never get the chance to show him The Stone Mask!"

"What's so special about that mask anyway?" Harry asked, "why would von Karstein want a crummy old mask anyway?"

"You narrow-minded fool," said Adriane, "if you could only begin to grasp the power locked within The Stone Mask, the power it can endow a human. But I guess you'll never know, our partnership is ended."

"Wait, what?!" exclaimed Uma, "what are you talking about?"

"It's over," sighed Adriane, "Heinrich has the ultimate weapon he's been looking for, or he will soon enough. This is Shadowcast's goal in our partnership with Heinrich von Karstein; make him a weapon to take over the world. Once Heinrich tells the boss of Shadowcast he likes Dr. Orange's idea, the organization will throw its full weight behind her project and finish developing it for mass production. That's how Shadowcast works; focus on what the client wants, everything else is secondary, i.e. not important."

"Well, that's just stupid," said Gil.

"It's how we do things," said Adriane, "how we've always done it since the beginning, long, long ago."

"It's still stupid," said Gil, "you shouldn't give up because someone else is ahead of you in the game. It ain't over 'till it's over."

"That's the stupidest thing you've ever said," said Harry.

"No, it's not," said Uma, "it's not over until it's over. He's right, it's not over. Just because Ben and Mal are gone doesn't mean I can't finish my revenge. It wasn't Ben and Mal who put our parents on The Isle. It was Belle, Beast and the other adults! They're the ones who need to pay!"

"You're right," said Harry with vicious eagerness, "it's Peter Pan and the others who dumped our forbearers on that accursed island who need to walk the plank!"

"Yeah, make Ben's parents pay for what they did to my dad!" said Gil, "throw Beast down a cliff and then bring him back to life so he can rot on The Isle! Make them all rot on The Isle! And then they can plan to escape and get revenge on us, then we'll get revenge on them, then they'll get revenge on us, then we'll get revenge on them, then they'll…"

"I think you've been hitting the Mentats too much," said Adriane, "but you're right, it's not over, not by a long shot. I just need an opportunity, one chance to present The Stone Mask to Heinrich and I know he'll pick it as his master plan for world domination, I just know it." She sighed with frustration, "but what with his son's forthcoming nuptials, I doubt Heinrich will have time to speak with anyone."

Just then a servant walked up with an engraved invitation on a silver platter, "for you, Ms. Adriane," said the servant as he handed the invite over.

"Ah, I am cordially invited to Heinrich's victory/engagement ball tonight," said Adriane after reading the invitation.

"He's throwing the bash tonight?" asked Uma.

"When Heinrich von Karstein wants something done, it gets done," said Adriane. She then grinned with calculated delight, "well, fortune is smiling on me today, and look, I can bring a plus one," she looked at Uma, Harry and Gil, "but I think they'll bend the rules this one time."

"Wait, you want us to go to Heinrich's party?" asked Uma.

"Uh-uh, no way," said Harry, "I don't do parties."

"Me neither," said Uma.

"But you went to the cotillion, right?" Gil asked.

"As part of the plan to bust everyone off The Isle and make Ben mine," said Uma, "the cotillion left a sour taste in my mouth." She then paused to think, "then again, if we go, we'll get a chance to make fun of Evie and the others. Any chance to make our enemies more miserable than they already are is an opportunity too sweet to pass up."

"That's the spirit," said Adriane, "we'd best get ready, for this, my friends, shall be a night to remember."

* * *

 **…the forest…**

"Are they gone?" Mal asked in a straining tone as she sat cross-legged, a bright purple aura of magic around her as she projected a spell, with Ben sitting behind her. Sweat dripped from her brow and down her closed eyes as she frowned in concentration, "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!"

"Yes, the surveillance craft are gone," said Saul.

Mal sighed with relief and fell back into Ben's arms, her aura flaring out as her spell, an illusion, broke apart like a cloud, revealing several square meters of upright trees in an ocean of desolation.

"Good job, Mal," said Ben, "Heinrich and the other baddies think we're dead."

"And pretty much everyone else things so," said Jill, "no doubt Heinrich will crow his 'victory' to the whole world, including Auradon."

"Oh wow, I didn't think of that," said Ben in a worried tone, "my parents, everyone back home, they…we gotta call home somehow! We need to…"

"We can't, not now," Andrew insisted, "I know how distraught your friends and family will be. I do know, I've faked my death more than once."

"It's true," said Jill, "and believe me, I gave him a good thrashing after learning he was alive. Your parents will forgive you, young King Benjamin, considering the seriousness of the mission."

"At least your parents will cry when they find you you're dead and cry again when they find out you're alive," said Jay, "my dad, he won't even blink either way."

"My mom will just be sorry she'll never get me back under her thumb," said Carlos.

"Well, I'm sure my parents will think me a hero," said Chad smugly, "as will everyone else in Auradon, considering how I saved everyone's lives just now."

"We know, Chad," said an annoyed Jay, "we know, you used a Stand."

"I did more than use a Stand," said Chad as he grinned with overwhelming arrogance, "my Stand completely shielded us from that bomb or whatever it was."

"It was the mecha's power core going critical," said Andrew, "no doubt a failsafe installed by the manufacturer."

"Whatever," said Chad, "the robot blew up and I blocked the blast."

"Technically you reflected the blast away from us," said Andrew, "your Stand manifested itself as a massive mirror, not a shield."

"Of course, it was a mirror," said Jay, "he turns out to be a natural Stand User and it's a mirror."

"Yes, and he's gonna lord it over us for the rest of our lives," said Doug.

"No, I won't," said Chad, "just now and then. Oh, and Carlos, I expect full use of your 3D printer whenever I wish once we're back home, you're welcome."

"Over my dead body!" snapped Carlos as his fists shook with fury, "I ought to…"

"No, leave him alone," said Mal as Ben helped her back up.

"At least you appreciate me, Mal," said Chad, "and if you ever get tired of hanging onto Ben's shoulder, mine's available, if Audrey's not using it."

"Excuse me?!" said an outraged Mal, "why I oughta…?"

"No, it's okay, Mal," said Ben as Chad tuned everyone out by gazing at his reflection in a hand mirror, "let him feel good about himself for once. For the first time in his life, he's a hero and earned it."

"I guess you're right," said Mal, "he deserves it." She then saw the looks of outrage on Jay, Carlos and Doug, "He does deserve it," she said to her friends.

"Darn right I do!" said Chad, "oh, I'm so gonna brag about it when we get home."

"Did you get hit on your head or something, Mal?" Carlos asked in a hushed tone.

'No, I'm fine," said Mal, "Chad does deserve it, for the next hour."

"And hour?" Doug asked.

"Yeah, let him brag and strut for an hour," said Mal, "then we make him stop, with extreme prejudice if necessary."

"I like extreme prejudice," said Jay eagerly as he cracked his knuckles.

"Save your strength," said Jill, "we've got a long way to go and not much time to get there."

"The enemy may think we've dead," said Andrew, "but that's no excuse to drag our feet, so let's shake some dust and get a move on!"

"Oh come on!" exclaimed Chad, "can't we catch our breath first?"

"No, we can't pass this opportunity up," said Phillip as he, Aurora, Mulan and the others readied to resume their trek, "if they're not looking for us, then there's nothing to slow us down."

"You can stay here if you want, Chad," said Mulan, "but I'm going to save my daughter."

"And mine," said Aurora, "unless you don't care about Audrey anymore."

"Are you kidding?!" exclaimed Chad as he grabbed his gear, then grabbed Aurora's, Phillip's and Mulan's, "I'M COMING, AUDREY!" with that he dashed ahead as if running in a track and field event.

"He's going the wrong way, isn't he?" sighed Mal, while Ben and the others facepalmed.

"Pretty much," said Jill, "he'll catch up soon enough."

* * *

 **…meanwhile…**

"Are you sure your information is accurate, Mr. Owen?" Harriet asked as she, Sammy Smee and Owen stood on the bridge of The Gray Phantom. The submarine constructed from recycled parts lay at all stop a few meters above the ocean floor near the face of a seamount. Directly ahead was the mouth of a cavern that stretched beyond the range of the ship's lights.

"As accurate as the defunct servers I hacked could tell me," said Owen, "I wish there was a better, safer route we could take, Skipper, but this is the best I could find."

Harriet investigated the gloom of the cavern ahead, shuddering at the blackness, the sheer unknown that lay in her path.

"Are you alright, Captain?" Sammy Smee asked.

"Huh? Oh…yes, Mr. Smee," said Harriet in a slightly confused tone. She shook her head to clear it, "I'm fine. Assemble the crew; I've an announcement to make."

A few minutes later found Harriet and the other young pirates in the common area of the sub. "As you are all painfully aware, my brother, younger sister and their fellow partners in grime made fools out of us."

"That's putting it lightly," muttered Ginny Gothel. She then winced as she realized she had just earned Harriet's wrath.

"Who said that?" Harried asked, "because you're right. We were utterly and remorselessly humiliated, by my own flesh and blood no less, and that slimy sack of tie-died tentacles, Uma, and that ironic idiot, Gil."

"Zevon was there too, Skipper," said Anthony Tremaine. "We have him and C.J. in the brig."

"Thanks for reminding me," said Harriet in a slightly annoyed tone, "I can almost hear them shouting at each other through the bulkheads. Anyway, thanks to our dear friend, Mr. Owen, we know who Uma and her fiendish friends are working with."

"Shadowcast," said Owen, "a consortium of weapon forgers and death dealers. Not many people know this but Shadowcast has been working in, naturally, the shadows for generations, supplying war machines and technology of terror to would be world dominators. Currently they are under contract with one Count Heinrich von Karstein of Transdoria."

"It is my firm belief that that is where Uma and her gang of ne're-do-wells went with two sacksful of Raritanium fuel and a piece of my personal property," said Harriet, "Which brings us to the crux of the conversation, mates; Transdoria is a landlocked nation beyond the borders of Auradon."

"Oh great!" said an exasperated Claudine Frollo, "we'd have to go through one enemy territory to get to the other enemy territory. The second we set foot on Auradon soil, they'll ship us back to The Isle."

"And this time they'll keep us under such close watch, we'll never get out again," said Clay Clayton.

"Maybe so," said Harriet, "but there's another way, one our dear Mr. Owen so diligently researched."

"There's a secret way to Transdoria," said Owen as he activated a hologram projector, displaying Auradon, Transdoria and a network of underground rivers, "a path from the ocean right into the heart of von Karstein's little empire."

"Well then what are we waiting for?" asked Geoffrey Huntsman, "let's go get those thieves and give them a good thrashing!"

"Not so fast, CPO Huntsman," said Harriet, "it's not as easy as you might think."

"The charts of the underground rivers are decades old and weren't the most accurate maps to begin with," said Owen, "a passage may have changed course or have caved in long ago. We could get lost or stuck, and who knows what other dangers lurk in places that have never seen the light of day?"

"The point is, mates," said Harriet, "is that this mission, this vendetta, is voluntary. Unlike my father, brother and sister, I care for the wellbeing of my crew. I must go because I have a personal stake in it, but you all are free to choose your course of action. I am prepared to take The Gray Phantom's emergency submersible and go on alone, but I'd appreciate the company of anyone willing to brave the unknown."

At that the crew murmured amongst themselves for several seconds, before Sammy Smee spoke up, "Captain, I believe I speak for the whole crew, that we're with you, to whatever lays ahead."

"Yeah, Skipper," said Anthony, "this is more than an act of thievery, it's a matter of honor."

"The pride of The Gray Phantom and her crew were soiled, Skipper," said Ginny, "we must have satisfaction."

"Even if it means getting stuck or lost in an underground river," said Claudine.

"We're in to the end, Skipper," said Clay, while Geoffrey and the others nodded in agreement, though Fen nodded reluctantly, her eyes betraying her nervousness.

"The crew has spoken, Skipper," said Owen, "and awaits your orders."

"Then everyone to their stations!" said Harriet, "and may Uma and her trap of toads rue the day they came aboard The Gray Phantom!"

"Three Cheers for Captain Harriet Hook!" shouted Sammy Smee.

"HUZZAH! HUZZAH! HUZZAH!" shouted the crew.

Fen ducked out of the room in the confusion of the others rushing to their stations. She hurried towards her bunk, passing the brig where she heard for a second Zevon and C.J. shouting at each other. Reaching her bunk, Fen locked the door, activated the anti-eavesdropping device and pulled out her HAM radio.

"Come on, please be listening," said Fen nervously as she put on her headphones and tuned to the desired frequency. She almost twisted the tune knob off when she felt and heard the engines powering up.

"DFX-824 to HZ-19!" said Fen into the microphone, "DFX-824 to HZ-19! Come in, over! Please come in, over!"

For a few heart pounding seconds all Fen heard was static over the frequency, until Adriane finally answered, _"This'd better be good, Fen, I'm getting my hair done for tonight's victory/engagement ball."_

"Oh, this is far from good, HZ-19," said Fen, "Harriet Hook, she knows about Shadowcast and our connection with Count von Karstein, over."

 _"And?"_ asked Adriane impatiently.

 **" _And?!"_** exclaimed Fen, "she knows! She's on her way to you right now! Owen figured out a way underground into Transdoria! They're taking the boat through the passages as we speak, over!"

 _"So?"_ Adriane asked.

" _ **SO?!"**_ exclaimed Fen, "they're coming! Harriet wants The Stone Mask back and is willing to spill blood for it!"

 _"Good, maybe some of it will land on the mask,"_ said Adriane.

"Why aren't you worried, Adriane!?" said Fen, "Harriet, she'll…"

 _"She'll do nothing, because you'll stop her,"_ said Adriane, _"won't you, DFX-824?"_

"I…yes," said Fen as she calmed down, yet looked even more frightened than before, "I'll stop her, HZ-19."

 _"By whatever means necessary?"_ Adriane asked.

"By whatever means necessary," Fen replied mutely, "they'll never reach Transdoria. DFX-824, over and out." She deactivated the radio and collapsed onto her cot, panting with fear as she fought to get her racing heart under control. She knew what Adriane expected of her; sabotage The Gray Phantom and kill everyone aboard, including herself.

* * *

 **… The Falcon's Nest…several hours later…**

"There is no way in this world or any other I'm going in there wearing this piece of fashion filth!" exclaimed Evie. She, Audrey, Lonnie and Jane stood outside a large set of doors through which they heard waltz music. All four girls wore conservative yet sensually designed ball gowns in various pastel colors; Evie's dress was Deep Pink and Plum, Audrey's was Light Coral and Dark Salmon, Lonnie's was Medium Sea Green and Chartreuse and Jane's was Firebrick and Saddle Brown. All four's dresses had long, ruffled skirts, very short sleeves and wore matching gloves, while their waists were almost painfully constricted by corsets.

"Your gown was designed by the most popular seamstresses in Transdoria," said Gustav, whom wore a black dress uniform with matching black gloves, "and you could at least show some appreciation on how quickly your ensemble was put together on such short notice."

"I feel like I'm going to be sick," said a very uncomfortable Audrey, "seriously, these colors make me sick!"

"I can barely breathe in this thing!" said Lonnie, "corsets should be banned!"

"They make you look lovelier than before, my dear," said Karl as he took Lonnie's gloved hand in his, while Gustav, Wilhelm and Frederic took the hands of Evie, Audrey and Jane, "now is not the time to be shy, for tonight we formerly announce our engagements to the world!"

"And celebrate the demise of several poor, pathetic invaders whom dared violate the sacred soil of Transdoria," said Wilhelm, "oh, I forgot, they were your friends and family. Too bad you weren't there to see them expire in person."

"I hate you so much right now," said Audrey as she glared wrathfully at Wilhelm.

"You'll come to appreciate me soon enough," said Wilhelm.

"You'll appreciate all of us soon enough," said Frederic, "especially after the wedding night." He leaned over to kiss Jane on the cheek. Wincing with utter disgust, Jane tried to pull away but his grip on her was too strong. He then grabbed her left hand and she cried out in pain.

"Now, now, dear," said Frederic as he gripped Jane's wounded hand tighter, "that's no way to treat your future husband.

"Stop it!" said Audrey, "you're hurting her!"

"I know," said Frederic, "And I'll hurt her even more until she learns to love me and…" he frowned in confusion, "hang on, I think I remembered something."

"What a shock," said Stefan sarcastically as he and Claudette walked over, gloved hand in gloved hand, with Claudette's gown colored Turquoise and Cornflower Blue.

"No, seriously," said Frederic as he let go of Jane, earning a gasp of relief from her, "there was something I was supposed to tell Father."

" _We_ were supposed to tell Father something," said Wilhelm, "and I think I remember it too! Let's go find him!" with that the twins ran off.

"Those two," said a disapproving Claudette, "they don't know Father is in the ballroom."

"Should we go get them?" asked Karl.

"No, they'll come back soon enough," said Stefan, "the other guests are being announced, we're not due inside for a few minutes."

"Are you alright?" Audrey asked as she hurried over to Jane, whom was gripping her pained left hand in her right. Audrey placed a comforting arm around Jane's shoulder.

"I'll be fine once we're out of here," Jane whispered, "I think my magic's back."

"You've got your magic again!?" Audrey nearly shouted yet kept her volume in check, "why didn't you blast that creep when he hurt you?"

"Because I don't know how much of my magic is back," said Jane as she eyed Stefan and the other von Karsteins, "and in case you didn't notice," she eyed the half-dozen guards in the room with them.

"Oh," said Audrey mutely, "well, what now, then? If you can't use your magic…"

"I'm saving my magic up," said Jane, "for the plan, for when Elisabeth helps us escape, remember?"

"Oh, right, Elisabeth," said Audrey, "I…I still think we should take her with us."

"Think again," whispered Elisabeth from within the walls. Audrey and Jane nearly jumped when they heard Elisabeth, then looked and saw a spy port open with Elisabeth's mismatched eyes looking out at them.

"Elisabeth," whispered Audrey as she kept her back to the wall, "what if someone sees your eyes?"

"I've been spying on my family for over a decade," said Elisabeth, "they haven't caught me yet. Listen, I've got it all set up; Tonight after the ball, when my father and brothers have gone to bed, I'm getting you and your friends out of here."

"Really?" Jane nearly shouted yet kept her volume in check, "how?"

"It turns out the VTOL craft have the simplest of auto-navigation programs," said Elisabeth, "very similar to a navigation app on a Smartphone, and yes, I know what Smartphones are. Just tell the onboard computer of the VTOL where to go and it'll take you there. After everyone is too tired after the ball to chase after you girls, I'll take you through the walls to the VTOL pads and you'll be free."

"I…I don't know what to say, Elisabeth," said Audrey as her voice nearly choked up with emotion, "except come with us. You can't stay here, you can't live like this, shut away from the world. And don't remind me about your intolerance to sunlight. We can help you in Auradon; medicine or treatment, something. Anything's better than staying here surrounded by those who hate you."

At that Elisabeth was left speechless for a few seconds. She was about to respond after gathering herself together, when and Audrey heard approaching pounding footsteps, "the twins, they're coming back. We'll talk later, tonight. Just hold on a few more hours, Audrey, and you and your friends will be free."

Audrey risked glancing behind her, but the spy port had closed. She then saw Wilhelm and Frederic eagerly walk back into the room.

"We were looking for Father when we remembered he's already in the ballroom," said Wilhelm, "and then I completely forgot what we wanted to tell him again."

" _You_ forgot," Fredric insisted, "I remember what we were supposed to tell him."

"Oh yeah?" Wilhelm asked daringly, "what was it, then?"

"Uh…I…I don't have to tell you anything!" snapped Fredric. Wilhelm gave a grow of fury and rushed at his twin and the two began a scuffle of fists and kicks.

"Knock it off, you two!" shouted Stefan as he and Gustav pulled the twins apart, "if you can't behave, you can stay in your rooms tonight."

"Oh, let them fight, please," said Audrey, "I do enjoy some light entertainment before a ball."

"Keep making fun of me and my brother," said Wilhelm irately as he walked over and grabbed Audrey's hand, while Frederic, Karl and Gustav took the hands of Jane, Lonnie and Evie respectively, "I'd have your tongue cut out if I weren't looking forward to mingling it with mine on our wedding night."

Audrey shuddered in disgust as the large doors opened. She had no choice but be led by Wilhelm into the ballroom, which was filled by dozens of dancing partners; the men wearing Transdorian uniforms and the women in a near blinding display of pastel colors.

"Oh, gag me with a spoon," muttered Evie as she and her friends endured the attention given to them as they were announced as the future fiancées of Heinrich's sons.

"Look at them, how miserable they are," said Uma as she, wearing a blue dress of her own choosing, while Harry wore a dress sea captain's uniform and Gil a tailor-fitted suit, giggled and pointed at Evie and her friends. They laughed even harder when the girls were escorted onto the dance floor and made to dance with their unwanted partners.

"They're not the only miserable ones," said Adriane, wearing a gown in shades of non-pastel red, "Heinrich is surrounded by his sycophants and toadies. I'll never get close to him at this rate." She tightly gripped the case with The Stone Mask in it. "But I can't give up, not after so many years of searching for this."

"You still haven't told us exactly what that mask does," said Uma.

"I'm keeping it a surprise," said Adriane, "I hate spoilers. I'm afraid you'll have to wait until I unveil it to Heinrich," she frowned as she saw Heinrich walking over to talk to more of his supporters, "if I can ever get a moment with him alone, that is."

"Just a few hours," said Evie to herself as she and Gustav danced, "just a few hours and it'll be over."

"We're just getting started, my dear," said Gustav, "you and I are destined to be one."

"You may as well throw me out the window," said Evie, "I'll never love you, ever."

"Are you saying you'd rather join your dead friends than marry me?" Gustav asked.

"You really are dumb as an ox," said Evie, "and my friends aren't dead. I don't care how big an explosion it was, Mal and the others are alive."

"How can you be so sure?" Gustav asked.

"I'd know in my heart if they were dead," said Evie, "and my heart tells me they're alive and coming."

"I'll have to do something to cure you of these nonsensical delusions," said Gustav.

"They're not delusions," said Evie, "it's reality. Mal and the others are coming, believe it."

* * *

 **…At the foot of The Falcon's Nest…**

"I had to see it to believe it," said a tired Andrew as he and the others stood at the bottom of the escarpment, "how tall it is."

Mal, her friends and allies had reached the escarpment without encountering further resistance. Nor had they encountered anyone.

"Is it me or is Transdoria rather empty of people?" Mulan asked.

"From what we've gathered, most of the population was relocated north of von Karstein's castle," said Jill, "why, that we haven't figured out, though our best guess is von Karstein wants to turn the area leading up to the border into one massive network of defenses."

"The man's really preparing for war," said Phillip as he and the others gazed up at the escarpment, "and he's got the perfect defensive center."

"There's no way we're gonna climb up that thing," said Chad, "it's suicide."

"Oh, come on, Chad," said Jay, "don't give up now! We're so close to the end!"

"You wanna go first? Be my guest!" said Chad.

"Uh…" said Jay nervously as he looked up, "yeah, that's not happening."

"No, it's happening!" said Ben, "it has to happen. We've come this far, we can't give up now!" he then looked at Andrew, "you guys brought climbing equipment, so let's climb already!"

"We thought The Falcon's Nest was only a few hundred feet up," said Andrew, "our contact assured us the mountain wasn't impossible to climb."

"Well, either your contact made the mother of all miscalculations," said Ben, "or is a double agent working for Heinrich."

At that Andrew looked ready to punch Ben in the face, "our contact would never betray us to Heinrich. He's risked life, limb and soul getting this deep undercover. He must have made a mistake, I'll prove it!"

"How?" Mal asked, "how are you talking with your contact in the first place?"

"With this," said Andrew as he pulled out a satellite phone and began typing a message.

"We're just wasting time here," said Jay, "there has to be another way up."

"I'm open to suggestions," said Chad, "oh, wait! I just had a brilliant idea!"

"That's a first," said Carlos.

"For that you can go last, Carlos," said Chad smugly, "and I'll go first, on Mal that is. Mal can turn into a dragon and fly us up there."

"No, I won't," said Mal.

"Yes, you will," said Chad, "just make with the purple smoke and we'll all get on your back. Of course we'll have to take turns, Carlos can go last."

"No, that's not gonna happen, Chad," said Mal.

"Why not?" Chad asked.

"First of all, I can't just turn into a dragon at the drop of a hat," said Mal, "I have to get angry first, and you really don't want to make me angry, I'll probably bite your head off before I'm calm enough to do anything else. Second of all, I don't know if I can fly that high or carry more than one person on my back."

"You carried Ben on your back," said Chad, "and he's way heavier as a Beast than as a boy," he looked at Ben, "no offense."

"None taken," said Ben, "this time. Look, we'll try flying up as a last resort," he looked at Mal, "we can at least try."

"We may not have to," said Andrew as he read a message on his satellite phone, "our contact inside, he just sent a very apologetic text; he was blindfolded when he was first brought to The Falcon's Nest so he had no idea how high up it was. Apparently, Heinrich had every civilian within visible range of the escarpment relocated. The man clearly values his privacy."

"Well, that's one misunderstanding cleared up," said Ben, "but it doesn't get us up there."

"So it's either climb or fly," said Jay.

"No, there's another option," said Andrew, "our contact, he says there's an old freight elevator down here, from before the von Karsteins started using VTOL craft."

"A freight elevator?" asked Ben, "yeah, that'll work."

"If we can find it," said Mal, "and don't elevators make a lot of noise?"

"Oh, I didn't think about that," said Ben, "we go up in the elevator, we'll have every guard in the castle waiting for us at the top."

"Not necessarily," said Andrew, "according to our contact, the whole castle's preoccupied with preparations for an impromptu ball. They're celebrating our deaths."

"Oh wow," said Mulan, "it's not everyday you get to crash your own wake."

"They're not just celebrating our highly exaggerated demises," said Jill as she read the message, "Heinrich is officially announcing the engagements of his sons to your daughters. And if our contact's information is right, then a quadruple wedding is right around the corner."

"Over my still alive body!" exclaimed Mulan, "come on, everybody! Let's find that freight elevator!"

"Assuming it still works," said Chad.

"Seriously, dude, stop it with the wet blanket routine," said Carlos.

"Or what?" asked Chad.

"Or we'll leave you here to make your own way back to Auradon," said Doug irately.

"Wow, Doug," said an impressed and somewhat unnerved Mal, "when did you get so savage?"

"When I found out that Evie's being shotgun-married soon, that's when," said Doug, "now let's find that freight elevator!"

Doug then stumbled on a protruding stone and fell over. Chad started to laugh, but his guffaw changed to a gasp of surprise when a large hidden door swung open.

"Doug, you are the luckiest kid in all of Auradon!" said Ben as he and Mal helped Doug back up. Our heroes entered the hidden chamber and found the platform for the freight elevator covered in rust and dust.

"Of course, there's no power in here," said Andrew as he and the others examined the dark room with flashlights, "fortunately, these old elevators have their own backup generators." He swung the beam of his flashlight around and found said generator, "ah-ha! Perfect. Let's get this old boy up and running."

"How long do you think it'll take him to fix it?" Jay asked as Andrew pulled out a tool kit and began tinkering with the generator.

"I don't know but it'll go faster if he has help," said Doug.

"Much faster," said Carlos as he and Dough went over to help Andrew.

"Oh come on!" said Chad irately, "this whole plan is stupid! How we even know the generator can be fixed? Or even if it has fuel? Or even if the elevator still works at all!"

"Chad, if you try dragging us down one more time," said Doug as he brandished a wrench at Chad, "I'll shatter your cheekbones with this."

"Oh, so savage," said an impressed Jay, "we'll make a VK out of you yet, Doug."

"You'd be savage if your girl is forced into marrying an over muscled barbarian," said Dough, "oh wait, she is!"

"That's right! Lonnie!" exclaimed Jay, "give me some tools, I'll help!"

"That's alright," said Andrew offhandedly as he focused on the generator, "we're good here."

"No, I want to help," insisted Jay.

"We're fine, okay?" said Andrew.

"NO, not okay!" shouted Jay, "Lonnie and the others are in danger and I'm just standing here with nothing to do! Now let me help!"

At that Andrew looked up from his work, "you really want to help? Okay, you can help by finding me a dunsel cog."

"Dunsel cog, right!" said Jay. At that he began furiously searching the room.

"That'll keep him busy for a while," said Andrew as he went back to work on the generator.

"What's a dunsel cog?" asked Carlos.

"Nothing," said Andrew, "there's no such thing. I put your friend on a snipe hunt to keep him out of our way."

"Ah, clever," said Doug, "oh, wait…I think…yes, one frayed wire in need of replacement."

"Fortunately, I always travel with a spare spool of electrical wire," said Andrew as he pulled out said spool, "it can handle most voltage. We'll have this genny running again in a flash."

In actuality, it took another three more minutes but the generator, which still had fuel, was up and running, supplying power to the freight elevator.

"Everyone onto the elevator!" said Ben, "Jay, you can stop looking now."

"But I haven't found the dunsel cog yet!" said Jay.

"Forget about it, dude!" said Carlos, "we've got girls to rescue!"

"I hope your contact was right about the guards otherwise occupied upstairs," said Aurora as she and the others got onto the elevator, "this old machine, it'll make the devil's noise on the way up."

"I hope so too," said Jill, "he's gonna meet us at the top and bring us to your daughter and friends."

"We'll finally meet your mysterious spy in the enemy lair?" Mal asked, "I can hardly wait to see the guy."

The elevator went up with a cringeworthy cacophony that left our heroes tense with anticipation, fully expecting a small army of guards waiting for them when the elevator reached its destination ten-thousand feet up.

After several minutes of vertical movement, the elevator slowed to a stop in front of a pair of metal doors, which opened with a slow, rusted screech. Mal and the others braced for an immediate attack but were left dumbstruck when they saw not an army of guards, nor even a man.

"A maid?" asked Chad incredulously as he and the others saw Marie.

"Chamber maid, to be exact," said Marie. She then smiled brightly and let out a squee of joy as she rushed up to and hugged Jill, "oh, it's so good to see you again!"

"Good to see you too, Laura," said Jill as she hugged Marie back.

"Everyone from Auradon," said Saul, "this is Laura Hurst, resident Feline Tamer of Joy Division Circus and our fly on the wall in Heinrich's domain." He then grunted in surprise as Marie, Laura, hugged him tightly.

"She hugs," said Andrew as Laura hurried over and embraced him lovingly. "Laura, this is Ben, Mal, Jay and…well, you'll get to know them in time."

"I feel like I already know you," said Laura as she hugged Mal, then hugged Ben, "you're famous, I mean, really famous. The whole world knows about you two." She then proceeded to hug Jay, Carlos and the others, "and you guys too!"

"I'm glad you're alright, Laura," said Saul, "and glad you maintained your cover so well. But there's a time and a place for everything."

"No, let her be," said Chad as he enjoyed Laura's affectionate embrace, "I'm good."

"No, he's right," said Laura as she let go of Chad and adopted a more serious attitude, "there's bloody work ahead of us. The whole castle's in a tizzy over the ball, I barely managed to get away from the other staff to meet you all."

"Evie and the others," said Mal, "are they…"

"They're fine for the moment," said Laura, "but in…" she pulled out a pocket watch, revealing the time as 11:30 PM local time, "at midnight, Heinrich will announce the engagements and set the weddings for tomorrow at sunset."

"Then we'd better hurry," said Ben, "I don't want my friends in Heirnich's company any longer than necessary."

"And just how are we gonna get them away from Heinrich?" Chad asked, "didn't think of that, did you, Ben?"

"Uh…no," said Ben sheepishly, "but I'm working on it."

"I have a plan of sorts already, your grace," said Laura, "sorry, I mean, Ben, we're all friends, right? Anyway, my plan involves us breaking into one of the castle armories, stealing some gas masks and teargas grenades, throwing the grenades into the ballroom and stealing back your friends while Heinrich and his goons are too busy coughing and crying to stop us."

"That could work," said Ben, "let's go, then!"

"There's one more thing, though," said Laura. She looked at Jill, Andrew and Saul with even more serious eyes, "it's Elisabeth."

"Heinrich's daughter?" Andrew asked.

"Heinrich has a daughter?!" asked Aurora.

"He hid her away because she's such a disappointment to him," said Laura, "but that's not important right now." She looked at Andrew, "Elisabeth, she's made friends with Princess Audrey and the others, and I believe they've all but convinced her to try and escape with them."

"Well, here's an unexpected complication," said Andrew. He saw the confused looks on Ben, Mal and the others, "but it won't stop us from saving your friends, come on!"

"Just a little longer, Evie," said Mal as she and the others hurried through the castle corridors, "we're almost there. Just hold on a little longer."

* * *

 **…the ballroom…**

"I don't know how much longer I can hold on!" complained a pained and exhausted Jane as she, Lonnie and Audrey managed to slip away from their unwanted partners between waltzes. The three of them took refuge by the refreshment table, while keeping an eye on Evie, whom was still in Gustav's grip on the other side of the ballroom.

"It'll be over soon enough," said Audrey, "it's almost midnight. It can't go on much longer."

"This isn't like what happened with Cinderella, Audrey," said Lonnie, "there's no magic to wear off when the clock strikes twelve. Besides," she glared across the ballroom at Heinrich, "it doesn't look like he's ready to go to bed."

"We just need to wait them out, that's all," said Audrey, "just grit our teeth, keep our 'beaus' busy until they're too tired to dance, that's all."

" _I'm_ too tired to dance," said Jane, "these shoes are way too tight, I think I'm getting lower back pain and a headache. The only bright side is that I'm not focusing on my hand. But if Frederic keeps squeezing my hand so hard, I'll…I'll…I don't know what I'll do, but I'll do something."

Audrey was about to suggest something painful to do to Frederic, when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. A hidden door slid open and Elisabeth crept out and hid behind a decorative stature, one of several along the walls of the ballroom.

Elisabeth saw Audrey and put her fingers to her lips in a shushing gesture, then reached into her dress pocket and pulled out a pistol.

Audrey mouthed 'no!' to Elisabeth, whom mouthed 'yes,' then nodded at an enormous clock at one end of the ballroom.

'Midnight,' mouthed Elisabeth.

But then Audrey heard Evie shout in disgust. Looking away from Elisabeth, Audrey saw Evie struggling against Gustav as he held her close and tried to kiss her.

Audrey glanced back to Elisabeth but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Come on!" said Lonnie as she grabbed Audrey and Jane. They hurried over to Evie and Gustav as the former fought as hard as she could to get away from the later.

"Let go of me, you pig!" spat Evie.

"Come on, just a little kiss!" said Gustav, "just a taste of what's to come!" with that he forced his lips onto hers.

This was more than Audrey and Lonnie could endure. Audrey grabbed a Champagne bottle from a nearby servant and shattered it against one of the statues, while Lonnie broke two crystal glasses, turning the stems into makeshift knives.

But Jane got past them and stood in front of Gustav and Evie, "LET HER GO!"

Gustav broke the forced kissed and glared at Jane, "Do you mind? I'm trying to get to know my fiancée better!" He then bent down to kiss Evie again.

"I said let her go, you monster!" said Jane, her fists trembling with fury and sparking with magic.

Gustav, gripping Evie's hand tight, glared at Jane, "or what? You'll slap me? Fredric, get over here and do something with your fiancée before she makes a fool of herself!"

"She already has!" said Frederic. At that he, Wilhelm and most of the guests in earshot laughed at Jane.

Her whole body vibrating with outrage, Jane pointed her right index finger at Gustav and shouted the first spell that came to mind…

" _Skidaddle Skidoodle! Your Dick Is Now A Noodle!"_

A beam of magic shot from Jane's finger and hit Gustav in the crotch with an accompanying sports fanfare. Gustav let out a gasp of surprise and released Evie, whom ran over to Audrey and Lonnie.

"Are you alright?" Lonnie asked.

"I'll have use a small fortune of mouthwash and toothpaste to get rid of the taste of him," said a disgusted Evie, "but yeah, I'm alright. But…what did she do to him?"

"What did she do to you?" Karl asked as he, Frederic, Wilhelm and Heinrich rushed over.

With growing dread, Gustav undid the top button on his trousers and peeked in, then let lose a cry of unadulterated horror.

"What?!" shouted Stefan as he hurried over, just as the twins looked beneath Gustav's trousers, "what happened?"

Wilhelm and Frederic screamed in fear and disgust, followed by Karl. Stefan and Heinrich looked, and they too voiced their horror, all the while Gustav kept screaming louder than the others.

"Wait, was that the spell in the back of Mal's book?" Evie asked, "the one we all thought was a joke?"

"I guess it wasn't a joke spell," said Jane, "because it worked." She then began laughing like it was the funniest joke she'd heard in a long time, and was quickly joined by Evie, Audrey and Lonnie.

"I don't get it, what happened?" Harry asked as he, Uma and Gil strained to look over the growing crowd of guests clustering around the von Karsteins.

"I believe young Gustav has suffered an unfortunate manhood mutilation," said Adriane in an offhanded tone as she sampled from a plate of hors **-** d'oeuvre's.

"Really?" Uma asked, "now this I gotta see."

"Be my guest," said Adriane, "whatever makes you happy. Now I'll never get to talk to Heinrich."

"Oh don't give up," said Gil, "your chance will come."

Just then Heinrich let loose a bellow of unbridled rage.

"Uh…maybe not," said Gil.

Heinrich tossed aside several guests like ragdolls as he stomped up to the still laughing Jane, "YOU! YOU LITTLE WITCH!"

"Technically I'm a fairy godmother," guffawed Jane, "but…"

Heinrich grabbed Jane by the throat and lifted her up in the air.

"Change my son's manhood back!" barked Heinrich at the suffocating Jane, "change him back now!"

"She can't if you choke her!" said Evie.

"You're right!" said Heinrich. He dropped Jane like a stone, then grabbed Evie by the throat and lifted her up.

"Now, my little fairy princess," said Heinrich coldly to the coughing Jane, "you'll change my son's wedding tackle back," he tightened his grip on Evie's throat, "or I'll snap her pretty neck like a twig."

"I…I can't!" said Jane, "I don't have Mal's book. I don't even know if there's a counter spell."

"I don't believe you!" said Heinrich coldly.

"I'm telling the truth!" said Jane, "honestly, I only memorized the spell because I thought it was a joke Maleficent wrote down!"

"A JOKE!" bellowed Heinrich, "YOU TURNED MY SON'S PENIS INTO A PIECE OF PASTA! YOU CALL THAT A JOKE!?"

"It is kinda funny, Father," said Wilhelm, while Frederic and Karl comforted the distraught Gustav.

"Well, I'm not laughing!" snapped Heinrich, "no one's gonna laugh after I wring this little chicken bitch's neck!" at that he tightened his grip even more. Evie's life flashed before her eyes again as her brain cried out for oxygen.

But then came a massive report in the form of a gunshot that startled everyone in the ballroom.

"Let her go, Father!" shouted Elisabeth, the barrel of her pistol smoking as the spent cartridge clattered on the floor.

"E-Elisabeth?" asked a shocked Heinrich, "what…what are you doing here? You're not supposed to be out of your room!" He then flinched as another gunshot rang out, only this time the bullet came within half an inch of tearing his ear off.

"I said let her go, Father!" said Elisabeth as she adjusted her aim, lining the sights of her pistol at Heinrich's heart, "I won't miss again."

"Well, isn't this exciting," said Adriane as she, Uma, Harry and Gil ate some canapes.

 **…to be continued**


	9. Chapter 8

_Hello everyone! Before we get started with the next chapter, I wish to sincerely apologize for my lack of publishing. The past few months have been utterly chaotic. Simply put, I was too preoccupied to do any writing. But things calmed down with the new year and, hopefully, things will improve with my personal life. I can promise you this, fellow readers and writers, 2019 will be a year for stories. And now, without further delay, on with the show!_

 **Chapter 8**

Mal was practically bouncing with anticipation as she, Ben and the others waited while Laura picked a lock. This was no simple set of tumblers to manipulate, for it involved an alphanumeric keypad, a card reader and a retinal scanner. Fortunately, Laura had what she needed, as she so explained.

"One of the first things I did after establishing myself as a chamber maid here was discretely flirt with the guards," she said as she pulled out a key card, "I gotta say, take one of them to first base and they get way too excited. Seriously, I think Heinrich has his guards swear a vow of celibacy. I guess he wants them to save their energies for war or something. Anyway, as one of my would-be boyfriend excused himself, I slipped his key card from his uniform pocket."

"And you made a copy of it," said Doug as Laura pulled out said key card, "and somehow slipped it back to the guard before he knew it was missing."

"It was easier than I thought," said Laura, "but the real challenge was getting an officer's retinal print. You see, Heirnich has his military organized by hierarchy; Heinrich is the head honcho, with General van Dreyfus as his chief military advisor. He's not here right now, probably holding war games with the other Transdorian generals.

"Anyway, there's the other generals and Heinrich's sons, then you've got the lesser officers, then the enlisted grunts and below that is the Doppelganger bodyguards; they're mostly cannon fodder."

"That we know," said Ben, "but how'd you get the retinal print?"

"For that I had to get a little more intimate with one of the officers," said Laura, "which I really didn't mind that much; he wasn't that bad a person and a really great kisser. I kinda feel sorry I 'accidentally' spilled hot sauce into his eyes."

"You 'accidentally' spilled hot sauce into his eyes?" asked Jay.

"It's part of my cover," said Laura, "I set myself up as a cute klutz. 'Clumsy is sexy,' at least to some people. Anyway, I managed to 'convince' the resident optometrist to take a picture of my 'boyfriend's retinas when he examined them, then 'convinced' one of the Shadowcast scientists working to make weapons of Heinrich to make a special contact lens."

She pulled from her pocket a small plastic case, removed a contact lens and carefully placed it in her right eye. She then handed the key card to Ben, "would you care to do the honor, your grace?"

"I'd be delighted," said Ben as he took the key card.

"Now if one of you fine young gentlemen would give me a boost," said Laura, "I'm a few inches shorter than the average Transdorian goon to reach the retinal scanner."

"I'll do it!" said Chad eagerly as he hurried over, grabbed Laura by the waist and lifted her up.

"I'll scan my eye first, then you swipe the card," Laura said to Ben, then she looked at Mal, "And then if you'd be so kind as to input 'AE82944Z' on the keypad, we'll be in business."

"Do I even want to know how you got the code?" Mal asked as she stepped up to the keypad.

"Let's just say I made it halfway between second and third base with another officer," said a somewhat embarrassed Laura, "now let's get this show on the road, my eye's starting to hurt a bit." She scanned her false retina and a red light above the scanner turned green.

Ben swiped the key into the card reader, and then Mal entered the code. Two more red lights turned green and the door swung open.

"Great balls of dragon's fire," said an astonished and horrified Mulan as she and the others realized the armory was no mere storage closet. Big enough to fit a classroom back at Auradon Prep, the armory held rows upon rows of assault rifles, pistols, hundreds of boxes full of ammunition, dozens of RPG launchers and scores of body armor sets.

"Just find the teargas and gas masks," said Jill as she saw the eager looks on Jay, Carlos, Chad and Doug, "no need for unnecessary risks." She then slapped Andrew's hands as he reached for an RPG launcher, "Or unnecessary baggage."

"Oh, just one, Jill, please?" Andrew begged, "call it an early birthday present. At least let me grab a few regular frag grenades. It's not like Heinrich will notice they're missing."

"He's right," said Laura, "there's dozens of these caches throughout the castle, and even larger armories throughout Transdoira, and only Heinrich and his inner circle know them all."

"The man's really gearing up for a war," said Phillip.

"Why hasn't anyone tried to stop him?" Aurora asked, "how can an entire nation be so eager for mass murder of innocents?"

"It's not like every man, woman and child in Transdoira wants to go to war," said Laura, "only Heinrich, his generals, his sons and a few others are thirsty for world domination. The rest of Transdoria just wants to go about their lives in peace, to go back to the old days before Heinrich rose to power."

"How'd he do it?" Ben asked, "how did this madman become so powerful and push the nation towards war?"

"Now that's the one thing I couldn't find out," said Laura, "and believe me, I've asked every officer and grunt I've snogged. The von Karsteins are an ancient but minor noble house in Transdoria. Before Heinrich, The Falcon's Nest was falling into ruin."

"This is no ruin," said Saul, "he must have spent a fortune restoring and upgrading the castle, and even more money on his army. I shudder to think of where he got the funds to bring in Shadowcast, they certainly don't work cheap."

"There's plenty of rumors of how Heinrich made his fortunes," said Laura, "it's like he has the golden touch or a goose that lays golden eggs by the gross. Even more are the rumors as how he rose to power. What's true was that Heinrich was content with his life up until the death of his wife, Helena."

"This wouldn't happen to be Helena van Dorian, would she?" Aurora asked.

"You knew her?" Laura asked.

"No, but I know someone who knows someone who did," said Aura, "Helena was the rival for The Evil Queen for the title of 'Fairest of Them All' back in the day."

"Well, regardless of who knew her," said Laura, "Heinrich was devoted to Helena and could never refuse her wishes. No matter what she asked for, Heinrich found a way to please Helena. One of the more believable rumors say Helena wished to see The Falcon's Nest restored to its former glory.

"To cut a long story short, Helena died of a strange wasting sickness about ten…no, it was twelve, almost twelve years ago. They said Heinrich went mad with grief. As soon as Helena' exurban and outlandish funeral was over, Heinrich started amassing power in Transdoria, rising from a backwater noble to the boss of an entire nation before anyone knew what was going on.

"And here's the real kicker; everyone who stood in Heinrich's way to power died, either through ungodly painful suicides or graphically bizarre accidents. Of course, there was never any evidence linking the deaths to Heinrich, and anyone who could have challenged him died. Before the people of Transdoria knew it, they were virtual slaves in their own nation."

"With a madman holding the chains," said Mulan.

"I don't get it," said Ben, "if Heinrich somehow has the power to murder his enemies without touching them, why didn't he just kill me and march his armies into Auradon? Why go through the deception of attending The Grand Challenge? Why even bother asking me for the marriage alliance?"

"Who knows what sick games play in Heinrich's twisted mind?" Saul asked.

"Well, we won't have to play them much longer," said Jay, his arms laden with teargas grenades and a gasmask strapped to his belt, stood with Carlos and Chad, the two of them also carrying grenades, while Doug had more gasmasks in his hands, "let's go save our girls."

"You don't have to tell me twice," said Mal as she took a gasmask from Doug, whom then passed the masks out to Ben and the others, "I've had enough of Transdoria to last a lifetime."

"Speaking of leaving," said Carlos as our heroes left the armory, "What's our exit plan? I mean, are we gonna run for the freight elevator once we save Jane and the others?"

"No, we're gonna steal one of Heinrich's VTOL craft," said Laura, "and don't worry about flying it; just tell the onboard navcom where to go and it'll take you there and…" she then slightly slapped the side of her head, "oh troll turds! I forgot something very important! Look, you guys go on ahead to the ballroom, I'll meet you at the VTOL pad outside!" with that she dashed off down the corridor, then dashed back to our heroes sporting a sheepish grin, "I…forgot to tell you where the ballroom and VTOL pad are, didn't I."

After hearing Laura's directions to the ballroom and VTOL pad and wishing her good luck on her errand, our heroes hurried through the castle corridors until they reached the large doors on the other side of which were Evie and the others.

"Okay, here's what's going down," said Ben as he, Mal and the others blocked out the obnoxiously loud waltz music from the ballroom, "we'll open the door a bit so we can find Evie, Jane, Lonnie and Audrey. After that, we'll toss in the gas grenades and grab our friends while Heinrich and the others are too busy coughing and crying to stop us. We'll then run like hell for the VTOL pad and get out of this madhouse once and for all. Anyone has another idea, I'm all ears."

It was then that our heroes heard a muffled shouting through the door, followed by a muffled sports fanfare.

"What was that?" asked Carlos as the waltz music died down. "It kinda sounded like Jane."

They then heard Gustav's blood curdling scream of terror, followed by the screams of his brother and father. Seconds later they heard Heinrich bellowing in rage.

Cautiously, Ben cracked the door open enough to allow him, Mal and Jay to look. They took turns with the others as they watched Heinrich wrathfully grab Jane. Carlos almost cried out and dashed into the room but Jay and Doug held him back. Jay and Carlos then had to hold Doug back as Heinrich turned his ire on Evie.

"What happened to set him off like that?" Mal asked as she barely stopped herself from rushing to Evie's aid.

"I'm telling the truth!" said Jane, "honestly, I only memorized the spell because I thought it was a joke Maleficent wrote down!"

"A JOKE!" bellowed Heinrich, "YOU TURNED MY SON'S PENIS INTO A PIECE OF PASTA! YOU CALL THAT A JOKE!?"

"Oh, she must have used my mom's joke spell," said Mal, "well, I guess it wasn't a joke after all. Wait, what am I saying? He's gonna kill Evie! Throw the grenades!"

Ben, Jay and Carlos pulled the pins from three gas grenades and were about to throw them, when Elisabeth fired her attention gathering gunshot. Carlos nearly dropped his grenade as Elizabeth confronted her father, barely holding onto the striker lever but kept the grenade from going off. He reached down to recover the pin for his grenade when Elizabeth fired her second shot, and Carlos almost dropped his grenade again.

"Give me that, man!" said Chad as he grabbed the grenade and pin, "now, how does this work?"

"I got this," said Andrew as he took the grenade and pin, securing both properly, then took the secured grenades from Ben and Jay, "I've got another idea."

"I'm way ahead of you," said Mal as she carefully inched the door open further and crept into the ballroom, confident that all eyes were on the unfolding drama.

"Alright, Elisabeth," said Heinrich as he dropped Evie to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Audrey, Jane and Lonnie hurried over to and helped the coughing Evie up, "you've got my attention. Now go back to your room and wait for me to decide on your punishment."

"There'll be no punishment, father," said Elisabeth, "your days of keeping me a prisoner are over."

"W-wha-what are you…" Evie tried to say through her bruised throat. Elisabeth winked at her before returning her glare to Heinrich.

"I also won't let you mistreat my friends anymore, Father," said Elisabeth, "JoJo and her friends, they're leaving, now."

"Oh, that's what we forgot!" exclaimed Frederic.

"Elisabeth was talking with our future wives, Father!" said Wilhelm, "she's helping them escape!"

"Could you be more of an obvious idiot!?" snapped Heinrich. He then glared back at Elisabeth, "now listen to me, young lady, you're…"

"No, you listen to me, old man!" snapped Elisabeth.

"HOW DARE YOU TALK BACK AT ME!" Heinrich bellowed, "HOW DARE YOU TALK BACK TO YOUR FATHER!"

At that Elisabeth let out a derisive laugh, "oh, that's good, old man, that's very good."

"What's very good?" a slightly confused Heinrich asked.

"I may be an issue of your loins," said Elisabeth, "I may have half of your DNA in my cells, but you were never a father to me."

"I beg your pardon!?" exclaimed Heinrich, "I raised you! I gave you food, clothing and a room to sleep in!"

"You tolerated my existence, and that's before Mother died!" said Elisabeth, "I know for a fact you wanted me exposed to the elements as soon as I was born. My clubbed foot, my mismatched eyes, my face! The instant you first saw me and realized I hadn't inherited neither your looks or Mothers' you wanted me dead! You would have tossed me over the escarpment edge if Mother hadn't begged for my life. And then you tried to kill me again when you learned of my intolerance to sunlight!"

"It's true," said Stefan to Evie and the others as he stepped forward, "I was there when we found out Elisabeth's condition. I saw Mother cling Elisabeth to her breast as Father threatened to tear her away and throw her to her death."

"Stay out of this, boy!" spat Heinrich, "yes, I never wanted her, and can you blame me? I mean, look at her! She's a weak, misshapen waste of flesh! A freak accident of genetics! I should never have listened to Helena when she asked for another child! I tried to tell her that five sons were enough, but no, she had to try for a daughter! And what did she get? A misbegotten pail full of filth! That's right, Elisabeth, you're garbage!"

"And I thought our families were dysfunctional," said Uma to Harry and Gil. Uma then did a double take as she saw a flash of purple hair out of the corner of her eye. She looked again but saw nothing.

"What?" Harry asked as Heinrich spewed more verbal abuse at Elisabeth.

"Nothing," said Uma cautiously, "just a trick of the light.

"Yes, Father, get it all out!" said Elisabeth as Heinrich paused to catch his breath, "it ends tonight, so make your insults count!"

"I should have had you put out of your misery the moment your mother died!" snapped Heinrich, "but I couldn't refuse her final wish! She begged me with her last breath to let you live, and so I did!"

"You locked me away and all but forgotten about me!" said Elisabeth, "you only visited me to delve out more insults. For eighteen years I've endured your psychological abuse, yes, eighteen years, or it will be at the stroke of midnight."

It was then that the big clock in the ballroom began chiming the hour. Twelve times the clock struck, the last one bringing a vindictively joyful smile to Elisabeth.

"There, I'm of age," said a satisfied Elisabeth.

"Oh, that's right," said Karl, "it is her birthday."

"You didn't tell us it was your birthday," said Audrey.

"I had all but forgotten," said Elisabeth, "but meeting you, Evie and the others, it helped me remember that tonight is my eighteenth birthday, so thank you, JoJo."

"JoJo?" Gil asked, "wait, who's JoJo?"

"Who cares?" Uma asked in a distracted tone as she saw a very familiar red hat out of the corner of her eye.

"Now that I'm officially an adult, Father," said Elisabeth, "it's time we settled things like adults."

"Is that so?" Heinrich asked, "well, then, how shall we settle it? You wish to take me to court? You wish for compensation for your years of abuse?"

"As if any court in Transdoria would give me a fair case," said Elisabeth, "we all know every judge in the country is in your pocket."

"Then what do you want?" Heinrich asked impatiently.

"I want to kill you, you vicious bastard!" said Elisabeth with venomous relish, "I want you dead before you spread your evil beyond Transdoria's borders!"

At that Heinrich laughed viciously, "you? Kill me? Your years in the disappointment room must have warped your mind! As if a weak, pathetic waste of DNA could kill me!"

"Well, she can, Father," said Stefan, "between the two of you, she's the one with the gun."

"Shut up!" snapped Heinrich.

"Don't you shout at him, Father!" snapped Elisabeth, "out of all my brothers, Stefan's the only one who's shown me an ounce of human kindness, same goes for my sister-in-law. As for my other brothers, they're so twisted and cruel, they're barely human! You poison and corrupt everything you touch, Father! You turned a peaceful kingdom into a rabid war machine!"

"And why not!?" snapped Heinrich, "Transdoria was a waste of human lives before I reforged it into a great and powerful land, a land I shall raise up high over the rest of the world!"

"You'd set our land atop a mountain of corpses," said Elisabeth, "but not if I have anything to say about it. Oh, I'm not simply going to kill you. No, I'll give you a fair chance, which is one more than you've ever given me. We'll settle this like civilized people."

"You mean…you're challenging him?" Claudette asked with horrified astonishment.

"Yes!" said Elisabeth, "I challenge you, Heinrich, von Karstein, to a duel to the death! Oh, don't get me wrong, I know full well I'm no match for you physically, but there's other ways to kill other than with the sword!"

She held up her gun, "pistols at ten paces, that's how I'm going to kill you!"

At that the ballroom erupted in shocked gasped and murmurs from the Transdorians.

"What is it?" Harry asked, "why's everyone so upset?"

"Oh, that clever little freak," said Adriane, "she knows Heinrich's Achilles Heel."

"His what?" Gil asked.

"It's well known that Heinrich, while a master with the sword and hand-to-hand combat, is a notoriously terrible marksman. He couldn't hit the broad side of a barn to save his life. Which is what'll happen when he accepts the duel."

"'If he accepts,' you mean," said Dr. Lime as he and several Shadowcast scientists stood nearby, "there's no way Heinrich will accept a challenge that's sure to kill him."

"He won't refuse," said another scientist, one with the nametag reading 'Dr. Grapefruit.'

"He cannot refuse," Dr. Grapefruit continued, "I know enough of Transdorian traditions to say that to refuse a duel of this magnitude would bring about the gravest dishonor. There's no way Heinrich will refuse."

"Then why does he look like he doesn't give spit?" Dr. Lime asked as everyone saw the look of unbridled rage on Heinrich's face.

"YOU…YOU DARE EXPLOIT MY WEAKNESS?!" Heinrich bellowed as his face turned angry red and his whole body trembled with outright fury. He rushed at Elisabeth faster than she could react and grabbed the pistol out of her hand, twisting her arm with enough force to audibly snap her radius and ulna.

Before the shock of her broken arm registered as pain to Elisabeth, Heinich slammed the butt of the pistol into her face, knocking her to the floor.

"I'LL TEACH YOU TO DEFY ME, YOU LITTLE BITCH!" thundered Heinrich as he continued to pistol-whip Elisabeth, striking her again and again with the gun.

"Hey…I think he's gonna kill her," said a horrified Gil.

"Well, duh!" said Harry, "hey, where's Uma? And where's Adriane going?"

Adriane, as it turned out, had walked up to Heinrich as he continued his merciless torment of Elisabeth. Adriane gave a loud cough to get Heinrich's attention, "forgive me for interrupting your admonishment of your wayward daughter, Count von Karstein, but…"

"BUT WHAT?!" hollered Heinrich as he turned his furious gaze on Adriane and making her flinch back, "YOU WANT A PIECE OF THIS TOO!?"

"Uh…no," said Adriane nervously, "I merely thought I'd be wise not to kill such a potentially valuable test subject."

"Oh, for crying out loud, Adriane!" exclaimed another Shadowcast scientist, this one wearing the nametag 'Dr. Pineapple.'

"This is hardly the time or place to promote your drugs, Adriane!" said Dr. Lime.

"You mean _my drugs_!" shouted Dr. Pomegranate.

"I'm not talking about that kind of guinea pig," said Adriane, "I have something else in mind, something that'll take every Shadowcast project and blow them out of the water." She stepped closer to Heinrich, "I have something that'll give you exactly what you need to realize your dream of world domination."

"You…you have 'it?'" Heinrich asked, "you…you have…" he looked around nervously, then bent down to whisper into Adriane's ear.

"No, not that," said Adriane, "what I have can give you an army of unstoppable super soldiers, one without wasting precious time and resources on drugs, bio and mechanical augments and a plethora of weapons."

At that the assembled Shadowcast scientists muttered their outrage at Adriane's statement.

"Oh, well, that's just as good," said Heinrich, "what do you need?"

"Some test subjects and some human blood," said Adriane, "starting with your wayward daughter. Either her blood or her body will do."

"Need some more unwilling test subjects?" Uma asked smugly, her shell necklace glowing brightly around her throat. Everyone looked and gasped in shock and horror at the fourteen tentacles sprouting from under her gown. Ensnared in her tentacles were Mal, Ben, Jay, Carlos, Evie, Doug, Jane, Lonnie, Audrey, Chad, Mulan, Aurora, Phillip, Andrew, Jill and Saul, all of them struggling fruitlessly against their slime-dripping organic bonds.

"What? How?!" exclaimed Wilhelm and Frederic.

"I thought they were dead!" said Karl as he pointed at Ben, Mal and the other rescuers. He then pointed at Evie, Jane, Lonnie and Audrey, "And what are you doing with them?"

"I caught them trying to sneak out," said Uma, "as if they thought they could be so rude."

"I'll show you rude, Uma!" snapped Mal, "just you wait until I get lose, I'll grill you like barbequed shrimp!"

At that Uma glared at Mal, "you know, there's something I've wanted to do to you ever since you first called me Shrimpy."

A smaller tentacle sprouted from the larger one holding Mal and forced its way into her mouth, much to her outrage and disgust.

"Did you know, Mal," said a maliciously smiling Uma, relishing in the nauseated anxiety of her nemesis from The Isle, "that some cultures find tentacle violations a stimulating form of entertainment? Personally, I would never stick my tentacles in such places, but for you," she then jabbed two smaller tentacles into Mal's ears, earning muffled moans of distress from her.

"Oh, you sick sea-witch!" snapped Jay, only for two smaller tentacles to shoot up his nose.

"Uma, stop this, please!" Ben begged, "don't lower yourself to such depraved cruelty!"

"You're lucky I still think you're cute, Ben," said Uma, "now be quiet, or I might just overcome my insecurities and violate your precious Mal eight ways to Sunday!" She then sighed with discomfort and rubbed the side of her head, "can someone take some of these idiots for me? It's really hard having more than eight tentacles out at once."

"Well, this is a sudden and dramatic twist," said Adriane as a full score of guards rushed in to grab Jay, Carlos, Evie, Doug, Jane, Lonnie, Audrey, Chad, Mulan, Aurora, Phillip, Andrew, Jill and Saul. Uma held onto Ben and Mal, insisting she kept those two close.

"Yes, they'll do quite nicely," said Adriane as she walked up to our restrained heroes. She then paused and smiled gloatingly at Andrew, Jill and Saul, "oh, you have no idea how long I've wanted to have you back under Shadowcast's thumb."

Saul lunged forward hard enough to loosen the guards grip on him and slam his forehead into Adriane's nose, breaking it. The guards then punched him in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him.

"Someone get her a handkerchief or something!" said Dr. Lime. At that both Wilhelm and Frederic rushed to help Adriane but wound up tripping over each other.

"No, I'm alright," said Adriane as she tilted her head forward and held her nose at two pressure points to staunch the blood. She then gratefully accepted some ice from a Champaign bucket and made a makeshift icepack out of a napkin. She then glared at Saul, "I'll bet you think this was worth a beating. Well when I'm done with you, you'll wish you were beaten to death here and now."

She then glared at Mal and Ben, "but first thing's first; let's fit these two with Abremalin Field chips."

"That…may be problematic, Adriane," said Dr. Grapefruit in a slightly nervous tone, "there's apparently some bugs in the system."

"What are you…oh, right, when Jane mutilated Gustav's manhood," said Adriane.

"You said she wouldn't be able to use magic!" moaned a very upset Gustav.

"What are you talking about?" Jane asked, "I've been able to use magic again for a while. I've barely eaten anything since I got here and only drunk tap water, so yes, whatever anti-magic drug you gave wore off."

"You were never given an anti-magic drug," giggled Wilhelm, "there's a microchip in the back of your neck to keep you from performing any hocus pocus!" At that a shocked and appalled Jane felt beneath her hair and found a small scar on the back of her neck.

"We just thought it'd be funny to make you think you were doped up with anti-magic junk!" giggled Frederic.

"Well, you should have drugged her," said Dr. Grapefruit as he pulled out a tablet and examined some data, "the software in the microchip is still in the beta testing phase."

"Never mind that!" snapped Karl, "just fit the brats with the chips so they can't use magic on us!"

"And risk it not working at all?" Dr. Grapefruit asked, "I think not! Oh, great, the whole Abremalin Field program's corrupted; I have to call Shadowcast's I.T. department, and I hate those guys, they're such turbo nerds!" He then pulled out his phone and selected a number from his contact list.

"Hey, don't hate on nerds!" said Doug, "the world would be a pretty dull place without us!"

"But do you have to be so smug about how smart you are?" Dr. Grapefruit asked as he waited for someone to pick up on the other end of the phone call, "I'll bet you right now those jerks in I.T. are just letting the phone ring while they're playing a computer game or reading magazines. And do you know what'll be the first thing they ask me? 'Have you tried turning it off and on again?'"

"Well, that is one of the first things to try when dealing with a faulty computer," said Doug.

"You want me to punch this geek?" Gil asked.

"No, he'll just bounce back," said Dr. Grapefruit. He then nearly dropped the phone in excitement when someone finally picked up on the other end.

 _"_ _Hello? I.T.?"_

"Yes, I'm having trouble with one of my software programs," said Dr. Grapefruit.

 _"_ _Have you tried turning it off and on again?"_

At that Dr. Grapefruit took a calming breath before answering, "no, it's not that kind of problem."

 _"_ _Are you sure the computer's properly plugged in?"_

"No, it's a tablet, and the battery's at 90%!" said Dr. Grapefruit irately, "look, I just want to report an issue of buggy software!"

 _"_ _Hold, please."_

From Dr. Grapefruit's phone came an annoyingly upbeat jazz instrumental.

"I hate these guys!" shouted Dr. Grapefruit, "I hate them so much!"

"Well, no Abremalin Field chips for you two," said Adriane as she looked at Ben and Mal, then looked at Jane, "and we'll have to take yours out until we figure out what's wrong with it. In the meantime, we'll have to figure out some other way of keeping you from using magic."

"We've got a way!" said both Wilhelm and Frederic as they produced several metal collars fitted with shotgun shells.

"Stick these around the other's necks," said Frederic, "and if any of the magic users try using magic, or if any of you try and escape again…"

"BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE!" said Wilhelm as he fitted a collar around Mulan's neck.

"Don't you dare!" exclaimed Lonnie, "take that filthy thing off my mother's neck!"

"And don't you put one on my mom!" said Audrey.

"You vicious bastard, Heinrich!" shouted Ben, "stop this madness right now so my friends and I can go home!"

"You're not going anywhere," said Heinrich as more shotgun collars were fitted around our hero's necks, "at least until I see what Adriane has to show me. Shall we retire to one of the labs?" He pointed at two guards, "You! Pick up that pathetic excise of a daughter of mine and take her to the lab!"

Heinrich then bent down and smiled viciously as the bruised and bleeding form of Elisabeth, "congratulations, Elisabeth, you get to live a little longer."

Elisabeth defiantly flipped Heinrich off with her good hand. Heinrich dismissed the insult and left the ballroom, with his sons and daughter-in-law in tow.

"OH YEAH!?" exclaimed Dr. Grapefruit into his phone as the ballroom emptied, "well why don't _you_ try shoving it up _your_ arse for a change, you dateless wonder!?" he then threw his phone against the wall as hard as he could, causing it to explode on impact. "Unbelievable!" He then realized he was alone, "hey, where'd everyone go?"

Laura then breathlessly dashed into the ballroom, a small box tucked securely under her arm. She looked around at the empty ballroom, "oh…this isn't good at all."

…meanwhile…

"Captain's personal log," said Harriet into a wax cylinder phonograph that actually recorded in MP3 format, "I hate my brother, always have and always will. I hate Uma and I'm not overly fond of Gil either. I should never have let them aboard The Gray Phantom in the first place. I should have known they'd try something. But of course, I had to be civil and welcome fellow Villains into the fold. It's what dad would've done.

"But I'm not my dad, I'm my own person, at least I'm trying to be. If I really were my own person, free of my predecessor's obsessions and vendettas, then I wouldn't have ordered The Gray Phantom after Uma and her cohorts. We're in an underground river, navigating on very, very old charts that could lead us to our deaths. Maybe I should have let it slide. The loss of a hundred kilograms of Raritanium wouldn't have impeded the voyage so much.

"And then there's the real reason I'm chasing after Uma; The Stone Mask. Why am I so upset? Am I really so petty to nearly lose my head over the theft of a trinket? And then there's the mask itself; such an ugly piece of work. If I wanted a decorative mask to display in my cabin, I'd steal one with real value, preferably one made from gold or silver.

"And the more I think about it, the more I suspect that Mr. Smee was right, that the mask is evil, true evil. For some time now I've been experiencing a sense of dread, that whatever we find at the end of this voyage isn't worth the effort. I…I'm afraid of what the mask can do, of what it's doing to me. Perhaps I should have forgotten about vengeance and ordered The Gray Phantom on its way out to sea as planned. Perhaps I should have let Mr. Smee throw it overboard when I had the chance. Maybe…maybe we shouldn't have left The Isle when we did."

At that Harriet stopped the recording and played back the last few paragraphs…

 _"_ _But I'm not my dad, I'm my own person, at least I'm trying to be. If I really were my own person, free of my predecessor's obsessions and vendettas, then I wouldn't have ordered The Gray Phantom after Uma and her cohorts. We're in an underground river, navigating on very, very old charts that could lead us to our deaths. Maybe I should have let it slide. The loss of a hundred kilograms of Raritanium wouldn't have impeded the voyage so much._

 _"_ _And then there's the real reason I'm chasing after Uma; The Stone Mask. Why am I so upset? Am I really so petty to nearly lose my head over the theft of a trinket? And then there's the mask itself; such an ugly piece of work. If I wanted a decorative mask to display in my cabin, I'd steal one with real value, preferably one made out of gold or silver._

 _"_ _And the more I think about it, the more I suspect that Mr. Smee was right, that the mask is evil, true evil. For some time now I've been experiencing a sense of dread, that whatever we find at the end of this voyage isn't worth the effort. I…I'm afraid of what the mask can do, of what it's doing to me. Perhaps I should have forgotten about vengeance and ordered The Gray Phantom on its way out to sea as planned. Perhaps I should have let Mr. Smee throw it overboard when I had the chance. Maybe…maybe we shouldn't have left The Isle when we did."_

Harriet shook her head to clear it of negative thoughts, "no second guessing for me," she said as she erased the three offending paragraphs, then resumed the recording…

"Nevertheless, my crew is confident we'll find out way out of this underground labyrinth and arrive in Transdoria. What we will find there is anyone's guess. Mr. Owen's research into that isolated nation has born meager fruit. What is known for sure is that Transdorians value martial fitness and genetic superiority, which is their business when all is said and done, but if this Heinrich von Karstein, leader of Transdoria, has my Stone Mask, I'll make him regret ever laying his paws on it!"

Harriet then heard someone knocking on her cabin door. "Come!" she called and Sammy Smee walked in.

"Mr. Owen and Claudine send their regards, Captain," said Sammy Smee, "they say we're approximately halfway through the passages to Transdoria."

"Outstanding, Mr. Smee," said Harriet as she stood up, "we're making excellent time. Double their grog rations for the next week."

"Also to report, Captain," said Sammy Smee, "The Gray Phantom has entered an enormous cavern, a subterranean lake if you will. Ginny wishes to take the ship up and replenish our oxygen reserves, assuming the air in the chamber is any good that is."

"Permission granted," said Harriet, "and if there's any viable fish in the lake, take an hour to catch some. We can always use fresh meat in the galley."

"Very good, Captain," said Sammy Smee, "um…are you alright, Captain?"

"Of course I'm alright, Mr. Smee," said Harriet, "I'm not happy that this is our only route to Transdoria, but our luck seems to be holding. Other than that I'm fine."

"Oh, good, Captain," said Sammy Smee, "it's just…well…are you feeling any…side effects? From the mask I mean."

"Side effects?" Harriet asked, "oh, no, nothing of the sort. I just want it back and I want to punish Uma and her crummy cohorts for stealing from me, that's all. I can assure you, Mr. Smee, my judgement in this venture is far from compromised."

"I believe you, Captain," said Sammy Smee, "and forgive this young seadog for worrying, it's my job after all. There's always been a Mr. Smee to worry after a Captain Hook, always has been and always will be."

Harriet smiled at her subordinate, just as the entire submarine shook violently and the lights flickered, accompanied by an ominous rumbling from the direction of the engineering section. Harriet and Sammy Smee were tossed about like rag dolls for a few seconds, landing in a heap on the cabin floor.

"What was that?!" exclaimed Harriet as she and Sammy Smee picked themselves up, just as a warning klaxon was heard. Harriet rushed out into the corridor to find her crew in a panic. Harriet dashed to the wheel house, stumbling as the ship rose sharply upward, then downward.

"Damage Report!" Harriet demanded when she reached the bridge, finding Ginny and Claudine struggling with the helm and controls.

"To put it bluntly, Skipper," said a strained Claudine, "the engine blew a gasket!"

"Owen's checking it out now, Skipper!" said Ginny, "but we have no propulsion and we can barely keep the boat buoyant!"

"Drop all ballast! Emergency surface!" Harriet ordered as she took over some of the controls. Ginny pulled a red lever and The Gray Phantom sharply rose upward, breaching the surface of the underground lake like a whale coming up for air.

"Let's hope the air outside isn't too stale," said Harriet once the ship was level, "we may be here a while." She then heard a commotion below decks, "now what?"

Harriet went below, where she found Clay Clayton and Geoffrey Huntsman manhandling a terrified Fen. "What's all this now?" Harriet asked.

"Caught this little saboteur planting bombs, Skipper!" said Clay.

"It's not true!" said Fen, "I swear it, Skipper!"

"DON'T LIE, YOU LITTLE WEASLE!" bellowed Geoffrey. He looked at Harriet, "We found her in the oxygenation room screwing a bomb to the air exchange manifold! Anthony's checking the rest of the boat for more bombs, but it wouldn't surprise me if the weasel here blew up the engine!"

Harriet fixed her gaze on Fen, "is this true? No, don't bother answering! I can tell you were caught red handed!"

"I…Skipper…I…" pleaded Fen, "it's…I had no choice…I…"

"I don't want to hear it right now!" said Harriet, "Geoffrey, Clay, take this…this object of my anger to the decompression chamber and lock the door behind it! I'll decide what to do with it later."

"Aye, Skipper!" said both Clay and Geoffrey. With that they dragged Fen away, with Fen staring back at Harriet with teary eyes.

"Fen," said an astonished Sammy Smee, "out of the whole crew, she's a saboteur? But why? She's one of us; she wanted to leave The Isle and Auradon and never come back. Why would she do it?"

"We'll find out soon enough, Mr. Smee," said Harriet, "but for now, let's find out what's wrong with The Gray Phantom."

They hurried to the engineering section, finding it clouded with dispersing smoke and the floors slick with liquid. She saw a disheveled Owen wiping his eyes and cleaning his goggles, while the rest of the engineering crew coughed and wiped their eyes.

"Report, Mr. Owen!" said Harriet.

"To state the obvious, Skipper," said Owen, "a bomb. Fortunately, it wasn't place close enough to the power plant to damage it, I hope. I'll check and recheck the reactor for damage as soon as I can see properly, but so far there's no sign of radiation leakage. And to state more obvious stuff, the fire suppression systems work. But that's the good news."

"Well don't keep us in suspense, man!" exclaimed Sammy Smee, "what's the bad news?"

"The blast wrecked the main drive shaft and damaged other parts of the system," said Owen, "we've got plenty of spare shafts and other parts, but I'll have to check the whole system to see what parts need replacing. Until then, we're not going anywhere."

"How long until we can get underway?" Harriet asked.

"I'll have to finish checking the drive system and reactor before I can give you a definitive answer, Skipper," said Owen, "assuming nothing else goes wrong."

"Do your best, Mr. Owen," said Harriet, "I have complete confidence in your abilities as an engineer. Come, Mr. Smee, we've a prisoner to interrogate."

They hurried to the decompression chamber where divers would enter and exit the sub. Peering through a porthole in the reinforced door, guarded by Clay and Geoffrey, Harriet saw Fen nervously pacing back and forth.

Harriet pressed an intercom button and spoke, "I want answers, Ms. Seuton! Why did you plant those bombs!"

"Skipper, you have to understand, I had no choice!" said Fen.

"Was it Uma?!" Sammy Smee demanded, "or Harry or Gil? No, forget that last one, Gil would never come up with something like this."

"Skipper!" said Anthony as he rushed up to Harriet, holding Fen's HAM radio in his arms, "guess what I found?"

"I…I can explain that, Skipper," said a visibly disturbed Fen, "you see…it's my hobby. I like to talk to other people around the world, and…"

"Don't lie to me, Fen," said Harriet, "it insults my intelligence. Besides, you'll need to save your breath." She looked at Geoffrey, "do it."

"Aye, Skipper," said Geoffrey gravely as he walked over to the atmospheric controls of the decompression chamber.

"Forgive me, Captain," said Sammy Smee in an uncomfortable tone, "but…shouldn't we have a more proper hearing first before we resort to torture?"

"Torture?!" exclaimed Fen.

"I'm going to have Mr. Smee increase the pressure in the chamber until it's too painful for you to lie, Fen," said Harriet.

"Oh, no! No! Not that!" exclaimed Fen, "please! Anything but that! I'll talk, I'll tell the truth!"

"Then do so, Fen!" said Harriet, "why did you sabotage my boat!?"

"Shadowcast!" cried Fen, "I'm working with Shadowcast!"

"Shadowcast, I should have known!" snapped Harriet, "Alright, Fen, keep talking!"

"My parents," said Fen in a depressed tone, "you know they were minions of a minor villain from before the foundation of Auradon."

"I know your parents were mooks, Fen," said Harriet.

"They were actually spies for Shadowcast," said Fen, "we answered to Marlena Katharina Sophitia van Garrett, Adriane. Their mission, which is my mission now, was to keep an eye on the other villains on The Isle as potential Shadowcast recruits. I was the one who told Adriane about Uma, Harry and Gil."

"Did you tell her anything about me?" Harriet asked.

"I told her you wanted to leave and never come back," said Fen, "she told me to keep close to you in case she needed you, or to eliminate you if you became a threat."

"I guess I fit the later," said Harriet, "but what about The Stone Mask? Why does she want it so badly?"

"I don't know!" cried Fen, "I swear I don't know why she wants it so much. All I know is she's obsessed with it. She had my parents keep watch for it, then passed the search on to me when it was my turn. I don't know what value the mask is to Adriane, only that she's willing to burn entire kingdoms to the ground to get it."

"Well, she has it," said Harriet, "and I'm going to get it back." She looked at Anthony, "take her to The Glory Hole and secure her with my sister and that idiot, Zevon. I'll deal with all three of them soon enough."

"So, no torture, Skipper?" Geoffrey asked.

"Not this time, no," said Harriet, "you can psychologically abuse the prisoners if you wish, Mr. Huntsman, but on your own time and once we're under away."

"Assuming we can get underway again," said a somewhat nervous Clay, "I'm sorry to sound cowardly, Skipper, but I really don't like the idea of spending the rest of my life trapped in this sunless world."

"Me neither, Mr. Claydon," said Harriet, "me neither."

Just then Ginny hurried into the area, "Good news, Skipper! Mr. Owen says he can have the drive system repaired and running again in six hours!"

"He has one," said Harriet, "I want all available hands working with Mr. Owen on this. There's no time to waste, for if Adriane is so desperate for whatever power The Stone Mask holds, then we've got to get it away from her before she uses it."

 **…** **The Falcon's Nest…**

"Well, this is definitely a good look on you, Mal," said Uma as she saw Mal wearing shackles on her hands and feet, secured to a wide wall where Ben, Jay and the others were likewise chained to, "locked up and helpless, yes, definitely a good look on you."

"I really hope it's worth it, Uma," said Mal, "whatever you hope to get out of this, it'd better be worth it, because the first chance I get, I'll make you wish we were still back on The Isle taking shrimp baths."

"You still don't get it, Mal," said Uma, "you've lost! You try anything and your friends get it in the neck! Or have you forgotten the shotgun collars on Jay and the others," she looked at Jay, Carlos, Chad, Doug, Aurora, Phillip, Saul, Andrew and Jill, "I'm just sorry the twins didn't have enough for all of you."

"We would have had more made if we knew we'd have company," said Frederic.

"We'd show you some of our other toys," said Wilhelm, "but Father doesn't want to spoil you lot."

"You really don't want to know what kind of toys they play with," said Gustav as he and Karl made sure Evie, Lonnie, Jane and Audrey were tightly chained to metal chairs.

"I can imagine," said Lonnie, "and I can imagine using them on you and your brothers."

"Ugh, please," said Karl, "I'm so not into that kind of kinky stuff."

"I shouldn't have done it," said Jane to Gustav, "I shouldn't have wasted that spell on you like that." She then glared at Karl, "I should have used it on your tongue, then at least we wouldn't have to listen to one of you anymore."

"I wonder if it wouldn't have been for the best," said Heinrich as he walked in, "my sons have a habit of talking on without saying anything." He bent down to glare at Jane, causing her to flinch back against her restraints.

"You leave her alone!" shouted Carlos, only for Gustav to zap him with a cattle prod.

"One more word from any of your friends and they'll get much worse," said Heinrich to Jane, "now, I'll ask you one more time to restore Gustav's manhood to its former glory."

"It really wasn't that glorious," giggled Frederic, only for Gustav to zap him with the cattle prod and knock him to the floor.

"Well?" Heinrich asked of Jane.

"I don't know how to undo the spell," said Jane, "even if I did…" she couldn't finish her sentence for fear of retaliation.

"A shame," said Heinrich in an offhanded tone, "I shall have to adjust my plans accordingly."

"Wait, that's it, Father?" Gustav asked incredulously, "you're just gonna let it go? I have a piece of pasta for a penis!" He then glared at Wilhelm and Frederic, silencing their giggles as he held up the cattle prod again.

"Again, a shame," said Heinrich, "not everything goes according to plan, so we make do and adapt. You'll get over it, Gustav."

"Not likely!" exclaimed Gustav.

"So, what now, Heinrich?" said Jill, "you gonna torture us? Does that make you feel like a man to make helpless people suffer? Does the screams of your victims turn you on?"

Heinrich grabbed the cattle prod from Gustav and jabbed it in Jill's midsection, earning a cry of agony from her as electricity coursed through her, as well as cries of outrage from Andrew, Phillip, Mulan and the others.

"I will torture you if you refuse to call me by my proper title!" said Heinrich, "now, let's try it again, who am I?"

Jill lifted her head to glare hatefully at Heinrich, "a sick, twisted, sadistic monster wearing a human costume!"

Heinrich jabbed the cattle prod in Jill's armpit, earning a louder cry of pain from her.

"Stop it!" shouted Mal, "you're killing her!"

"I must agree, Count von Karstein," said Adriane, "no sense in wasting potential test subjects."

"Yes, they have value, for now," said Heinrich as he backed away from Jill. She gasped in relief and passed out.

"You're a right bastard, Count von Karstein," said Saul, "you're on my list."

"List?" Heinrich asked, "what list?"

"List of names I say every night before I go to sleep," said Saul, "the names of the people I need to kill. It's been empty for a while now, so you're on the top, followed by your sons. Oh, you're on the list too, Adriane."

"Interesting," said Adriane, "who else is on your new list?"

"Not many," said Saul, "just the Shadowcast scientists I've seen so far. Oh, I'm also gonna kill Heinrich's daughter-in-law and grandkids for good measure."

At that Stefan rushed in with a pair of plyers and, after several seconds of struggling and screams from Saul, ripped out one of Saul's teeth.

"If you ever threaten my wife or children again, I'll tear you apart piece by piece!" shouted Stefan as he waved Saul's bloody tooth in front of him. He then looked at Adriane, "he doesn't need all of his teeth for this, does he?"

"No, but then again, the first test subject is in much worse condition," said Adriane as Elisabeth, strapped to a metal table, glared at her through two swollen eyes.

"What are you going to do to her?" Audrey asked.

"Yeah," said Harry, "I think we all want to know what your end game is, Adriane."

"Yeah, what's the game?" Gil asked.

"I must admit," said Heinrich, "my curiosity is becoming a rather irksome itch."

"Very well," said Adriane as she pulled out her metal briefcase and opened it, revealing The Stone Mask, "to understand this artifact and its power, I need to tell a story, so I hope you're all comfortable."

"Uh…before you tell your story," said a somewhat embarrassed Andrew, "can I use the bathroom? I have a mighty, mighty need."

"Seriously?!" asked Jill irately, "you didn't go before we started?"

"Well, we've been chained up here for a while," said Andrew, "I didn't have to go then."

"Why should I let you?" Heinrich asked, "why shouldn't I let you suffer the humiliation of soiling yourself?"

"Because, _Count_ von Karstein," said Andrew, "out of all my friends and comrades, I'm the only one who hasn't insulted you."

"Hmmm, you have a point," said Heinrich, "very well, escort him to the restroom. But make it quick, I grow impatient to hear Adriane's tale!"

"You won't regret this," said Andrew as two guards unchained him from the wall, then several more guards manhandled him over to a nearby bathroom.

"Unbelievable!" said Jill, "we're all in mortal danger, and all he can think about is how badly he needs to relieve himself! I should never married that bloke."

"Why did you?" Adriane asked, "from what I've read in Shadowcast's files, you two have rather incompatible personalities. Then again, opposites attract."

"We're far from magnets," said Jill, "still, if you are interested, and he may be a while, it all started when Andrew lost his glasses."

"Oh no, not that story!" said Saul.

"Yes, that story," said Jill, "so anyway…"

"Uma, listen to me," said Ben in a hushed tone while everyone else listen to Jill ramble on, "it's not too late. Help us get out of here and you can come back with us to Auradon."

"Are you kidding me?!" Mal asked, "there's no way…"

"Yes, there's a way, Mal," said Ben, "I still believe there's good in Uma." He then looked at the daughter of Ursula with pleading eyes, "I know there's good in you. You can still have a life with us in Auradon. Just…"

"No, Ben," said Uma, "it's too late."

"No, it isn't," said Ben, "you can still turn back from the dark path you're on."

"And why should I?" Uma asked, "why should I help you after all we've been through? And how do you know there's any good in me?"

"Because if you really were evil," said Ben, "you would have killed Mal and me in the ballroom."

"Hey, you're right," said Mal, "she could have killed us but didn't. Uma, you could have crushed us with your tentacles or broken my neck, or choked me with those smaller tentacles, which is gross and kinda cool when you think about it."

"After all we've been through, Mal," said Uma, "you still don't know anything about me. I could have killed you but I'm not done making you and Ben suffer. Unlike you and your other Isle traitors, I'm truly rotten to the core."

"Then how come you're talking to us?" Mal asked, "if you were really evil, you wouldn't care. You can still choose good, Uma."

"And turn all goody two shoes and all perky like you, Jay, Carlos and Evie? No way in the seven seas," said Uma, "but there is one thing that might make me consider helping you guys."

"Really?" Mal asked, "whatever it is, I'll do it."

"Apologize," said Uma as she smiled vindictively, "say you're sorry for dumping that bucket of shrimp on me when we were kids."

"I'd rather let Adriane experiment on me!" snapped Mal.

"Are you crazy, Mal?" Ben asked, "just say you're sorry!"

"No, Ben, I'll never apologize!" said Mal, "she tried to kill me!"

"You slipped and went over the edge of the dock," said Uma.

"And you didn't help me!" spat Mal, "you knew I couldn't swim and you laughed as I went over! If weren't for that exposed plank I wouldn't be here."

"And my life would be so much easier," said Uma, "maybe it would've been me Ben chose to go with Jay, Carlos and Evie to Auradon Prep." She went up to Ben, "maybe I'd be your girlfriend now, and maybe I still can be." Before Ben could react, Uma grabbed the back of his head and pulled him into a kiss.

Mal let lose a screech of fury and lunged against her chains, "YOU'RE DEAD, UMA! YOU HEAR ME?! YOU'RE DEAD!"

"Do you mind?" Jill asked, "I'm trying to tell an embarrassing story about my husband! Now, where was I?"

"It's alright," said Uma after releasing Ben, "I got what I wanted." She backed away, mouthing 'call me?' while making a phone gesture with her fingers.

"Anyway," said Jill, "and so there Andrew was, caught red handed in a hotel room with some welding equipment, when…"

It was then that everyone heard a loud toilet flushing, followed by Andrew emerging from the bathroom, letting lose a sigh of enormous relief, "My Business Is Done!"

"Oh good, you're just in time for the really juicy part," said Jill.

"Oh no," said Andrew as the guards frog marched him back to the wall and secured his chains, "you're not telling the glasses story, are you?"

"I was just about to get to the part where you walked into a brothel with a jackass and some honeycomb," said Jill.

"ENOUGH!" bellowed Heinrich, "I wish to hear what Adriane has to say!"

"Yes, Count von Karstein!" said Adriane as she picked up The Stone Mask, "this mask dates back over ten-thousand years to a civilization of near immortals that lorded over lowly _homo sapiens_. These creatures possessed incredible powers and were capable of great passions and desires. Yet they had one weakness; direct sunlight turned their skin to stone.

"The semi-immortals created The Stone Masks in effort to withstand the light of the sun. Needless to say, the effort failed and the near immortals went extinct through internal strife and other factors. Yet the masks had an unexpected side effect. When placed on a human and activated, the mask turned that human into a creature that the near immortals could feed on. These creatures were the first vampires of the world."

The silence that followed Adriane's statement was so thick, one could cut it with a knife.

"Vampires?" Heinrich said finally, "vampires?"

"Yes, Count von Karstien," said Adriane, "this mask has the power to turn humans into vampires. Just imagine it; an army of near-indestructible warriors who's only weakness is sunlight! Since your daughter already has an aversion to the sun, I figured she'd fit right in among the undead."

"Fascinating," said Dr. Lime, "and somewhat disturbing. How ever did you come across such an artifact?"

"This isn't the only Stone Mask the ancient near immortals left behind," said Adriane, "I found one on an archeological dig, decades ago. By sheer chance I learned how to activate the mask's power. I saw firsthand the results of that power. Needless to say, the mask and the vampires it created were destroyed, and I've been scouring the world over since to find another."

"You really expect me to accept an army of vampires under my command?" Heinrich asked.

"Assuming you can command them, Father," said Stefan.

"Exactly," said Heinrich.

"Vampires can be controlled, Count von Karstein," said Adriane, "if one uses the right conditioning."

"A suitable conditioning program can be developed, Count von Karstien," said Dr. Lime, "assuming a vampire can be produce."

"It will make a vampire!" exclaimed Adriane as she franticly waved The Stone Mask about, "I've seen it done with my own eyes! This mask is identical the one I had before in every detail, right down to the inscriptions on the inside!"

"What is that writing anyway?" Uma asked.

"It's the language of the ancient near immortals," said Adriane, "I've only translated a few words, but from what I can tell, the writing on the mask is instructions. Then again, it could be anything, depending on the grammatical context. Maybe I'm forgetting to conjugate the verbs or something."

"You're wasting my time, Adriane!" barked Heinrich.

"Yes, time is precious," said Adriane, "even to near immortals. Now, a demonstration of the mask. For that I'll need to spill some blood," she idly waved her fingers at our heroes and allies, before settling on Audrey, "her blood will suffice, just a few drops, that's all." At that Wilhelm and Frederic unchained Audrey and forced her over to Adriane.

"NO!" shouted Elisabeth as she struggled fruitlessly against her bonds, "you leave her alone! You hear me?! You leave JoJo alone!"

"It's alright, Cassandra," said Audrey, "they'll get theirs in due course," she then glared at Adriane, "you're going to lose in the end, you know that? Because good always beats evil."

"Whatever," said Adriane as she placed The Stone Mask on a smaller table, then pulled out a butterfly knife and opened it with an elaborate flick of her wrist, "how hold out your hand."

"Make me," said Audrey defiantly.

Adriane then placed the tip of her knife to within an inch of Audrey's left eye, "hold out your hand or you'll change your nickname to 'Cyclops!'"

"Just remember," said Audrey as she held out her right hand, "good always beats evil."

"Not today it doesn't," said Adriane. She then sliced Audrey's palm open. Audrey bit her lip, stifling a scream of pain as blood welled up from the cut. Adriane then held Audrey's bleeding hand over the Stone Mask. A few drops fell on the mask and it jumped up in the air, propelled by several bone tendrils that popped out from the edge.

"Blood activates the mask," said Adriane as she picked the mask up, careful not to touch the tendrils, "and these protrusions, when the mask is worn on a human, pierce the skull and enter the brain, triggering hidden pressure points like acupuncture. This initiates a biochemical transformation that alters human DNA, endowing him or her with enhanced physical attributes; strength, speed, agility and accelerated healing."

Our heroes and villains then saw the bone tendrils retract back into the mask, leaving no sign they were ever there.

"The process also frees the human from moral inhibitions and psychological restraints, bringing out what some call the worst of human nature, while others call it the best. As stated before, the main drawback is intolerance to direct sunlight. Any exposure to ultraviolet radiation, whether from the sun or an artificial source, damages the vampire cellular structure beyond repair. Full exposure destroys the vampire in seconds."

"What about blood of the living?" asked Stefan, "from what I've heard about vampires, they need blood of the living to survive."

"Yes, 'blood is the life,'" said Adriane, "the vampire craves living blood as substance, through he or she can still take nutrients from normal food. The vampire takes blood from its victims by biting the neck, though there are other ways to take blood, but that's not important right now."

She looked at Heinrich and handed him The Stone Mask, "in short, Count von Karstien, put mask on your daughter and drop some blood on it and she'll transform into something terrible and wonderful."

"No, don't do it!" said a horrified Audrey, "don't you hurt her!"

"As if you can stop it," said Heinrich as he looked at The Stone Mask in his hands. He then fixed his eyes on Adriane, "if this does as you say, if it changes my daughter, I'll make you rich beyond your wildest dreams, Ms. Van Garrett."

"Uh…just so you know," said Gil, "we get a share of those dreams," she pointed at himself, Harry and Uma, "we helped her get the mask, you know."

"They did, Count von Karstein," said Adriane.

"They'll be properly rewarded," said Heinrich. He then walked over to the larger table, "well, Elisabeth, your mother always hoped you'd prove yourself to me. Well, now's your chance." He then placed the mask over Elisabeth's face, "bring her!"

"Which one, Father?" Frederic asked.

"The one you and your brother are holding, you dunderhead!" snapped Heinrich, "the one who's bleeding!"

"Oh, right!" said Frederic, "come on, brother of mine!"

"Yes, let's do it!" said Wilhelm as he grinned viciously.

"No! Please! No!" begged Audrey as the malicious twins forced her closer to the larger table, "please! PLEASE!"

"In the name of God, Heinrich!" shouted Jill, "stop this madness!"

"Don't you bring God into this!" snapped Heinrich, "now, Wilhelm! Frederic! Do it!"

"Yes, Father!" said both twins. They then forced Audrey's bleeding hand over The Stone Mask. Audrey tried to move her hand away to keep the blood from falling, but several drops fell on the mask.

The bone tendrils popped out and impaled Elisabeth's skull. She screamed in sheer agony, her back arching as an insidious light shone from the mask.

"YES!" exclaimed Adriane with vile glee, "YES!"

But then the light from the mask faded out as the tendrils retracted into the mask. Elisabeth collapsed on the table and didn't move again.

"Uh…I think she's dead," said Karl.

"No, she's undead," said Adriane, "just give her a few seconds for her DNA to resequence. She'll wake up hungry for blood any second now."

But Elisabeth just lay there on the table.

"Any second now," said Adriane, "you wait and see."

"Dr. Lime?" Heinrich ordered.

Dr. Lime walked over to the table and cautiously removed the mask from Elisabeth, revealing a still face with closed eyes.

"Well?" Heinrich asked.

After checking for breathing and a pulse, Dr. Lime shook his head at Heinrich, "she's dead, Count von Karstein. You have my most sincere condolences."

"MURDERERS!" screamed Audrey as tears of despair fell from her eyes, "YOU'RE ALL A BUNCH OF MONSTEROUS MURDERERS!"

"It was a mercy killing," said Heinrich as he walked past Audrey to pick up The Stone Mask, then walked over to confront the confounded Adriane. "You promised me a vampire, Ms. Van Garrett."

"I…I don't understand," said Adriane, "it should have worked. She should be undead, not dead-dead."

"Murderers," sobbed Audrey.

"Your own daughter," said Jill contemptuously, "whatever your grievance with her, Heinrich, she was still your daughter. You'll burn in Hell for this, if there's a God it will be so!"

At that Heinrich hurried over and slammed his fist into Jill's midsection, knocking the wind out of her.

"GOD?!" bellowed Heinrich, "It was God who took my beloved Helena from me! It was God who left me with a waste of genes of a daughter. Every moment she lives reminds me of my loss!" He then glared at the broken form of Elisabeth, "well, at least she's out of my hair." He looked at Dr. Lime, "dispose of the remains however you see fit, she means nothing to me now."

"Yes, Count von Karstein," said Dr. Lime. He then looked at Adriane with disapproving eyes.

"It should have worked," said Adriane, "wait, maybe it didn't work because she was so unhealthy! Let's try again with a stronger test subject!" she looked at Jay, "he's fit enough! I'm positive it'll work with him!"

"Oh heck no!" exclaimed Jay, "screw that! I'm blowing this popsicle stand!" at that he tried as hard as he could to break his chains, yet the restrains held firm.

"Later, perhaps," said Heinrich, "I'm not in the mood." He then smiled with insidious delight, "I think a celebration is in order."

"Oh sure, to commemorate the murder of your only daughter," said Mulan contemptuously, "are you even human, Heinrich?"

"More human than you are," said Heinrich, "and you won't be so insulting to me for much longer, we're about to be in-laws after all. Yes, I believe a wedding is just what we all need to cheer ourselves up."

"Wait…what?" Mal asked, "you're still going ahead with marrying my friends to your sons?"

"Of course!" said Heinrich, "it's why I brought them here in the first place!"

"Now I know you're crazy!" said Evie, "I had to be sure!"

"Madmen lose, my soon to be daughter-in-law," said Heinrich, "I've won. Now, since Gustav is no longer capable of consummating a marriage," he glared at Jane, "thank you very much by the way, I'll have to find someone else to marry Evie," he looked at Stefan, "I believe you'll be quite happy with her, eldest son."

"What?" a surprised Stefan asked, "wait, no, I'm not marrying another, Father. I'm perfectly happy with Claudette."

"Nevertheless, you'll marry again," said Heinrich, "you'll marry the Princess Evie and beget her with children, I insist on it."

"No, Father!" said Stefan, "I won't! I won't betray Claudette and our children!"

"YOU WILL MARRY THE PRINCESS EVIE!" bellowed Heinrich, causing Stefan to flinch back, "or I'll have your precious Claudette beaten senseless. I'd like to see you love her when she's a bloody mess from head to toe!"

"I…I…yes, father," Stefan relented.

"That's one issue settled," said Heinrich, "now, as for the other eligible bachelorette," he looked at Mal, "I believe I've been a widower long enough."

"No," said a horrified Mal as Heinrich stepped closer, "you can't be serious."

"As serious as the blood in my veins," said Heinrich as he grabbed Mal's face and turned it to look at her at all angles, "yes, you are quite beautiful, Lady Mal, and quite fertile. Yes, you'll give me many healthy and powerful sons in the years to come."

At that Ben let lose a roar of pure rage, his chains shattering as he transformed. Several guards rushed in to grab him but were thrown aside like rag dolls. Beast Ben let lose an even louder roar as he rushed at Heinrich, his fangs and claws exposed to kill.

"STOP!" said Heinrich as he produced a remote-control device, "come any closer and your friends die!"

Beast Ben skidded to a halt as he saw the shotgun collars on Jay and the others blinking with red lights. He sighed with frustration as he reverted to his human form.

"That's more like it," said Heinrich as guards rushed in to tackle Ben to the floor and secure him with fresh chains. Heinrich looked around, "why is everyone so gloomy? We've a quintuple wedding to prepare for!"

"Well, this was…something," said a somewhat unnerved Uma as the guards moved Mal, Ben and the others out of the room.

"Does this mean we don't get paid?" Gil asked.

"No, Gil," said a depressed Adriane, "we're not getting paid." She slammed her fist on the table with Elizabeth's body, "why did I pick the weakling!? I should have picked someone else! And why did I let Heinrich take the mask with him! I've got to get it back from him before he accidentally breaks it. It's quite fragile, you know."

"Well, if we're not getting paid, what are we still doing here?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I think we're done," said Uma. Thought she'd never admit it to anyone, Elisabeth's horrific demise left her feeling quite uncomfortable, as did the words of Ben and Mal. Try as she'd deny it, there was a spark of good in Uma's heart, and that spark was making her feel rotten to the core, and not in the way she wanted.

"Well, we're not done yet," said Adriane, "not by a long shot. I haven't spent decades searching for the power of The Stone Mask just to give up at one unexpected failure! Come on, we've a wedding to get ready for."

"Oh great, a ball and a wedding all in the same night," said Uma as she, Harry and Gil followed Adriane out of the room, "what next? A zombie rave party?"

"What do you want to do with the remains, Dr. Lime?" asked his assistants Inga and Olga.

"Take the body to Pathology," said Dr. Lime, "Dr. Snozzberry will perform the autopsy. Perhaps he can figure why she died, it may alleviate Adriane's disappointment."

A short time later, Inga and Olga had wheeled a gurney with Elisabeth's body down several levels to another lab, where a tall, thin Shadowcast scientist with oily black hair and very thick glasses, sat reading a manga.

"Another body for you, Dr. Snoozberry," said the two assistants.

"Another of my colleague's rejects, you mean," said Dr. Snoozberry as he bookmarked his manga and got up, "well, bring the poor devil over."

After placing Elisabeth on the examination table, Dr. Snozzberry began the autopsy, starting with cataloging her physical attributes.

"The patient is a girl in her late teens," said Dr. Snozzberry into a recorder, "long black hair, a clubbed foot and heterochromatic eyes. She also has a broken right radius and ulna and several facial contusions. Multiple puncture wounds on the back of the skull are the obvious cause of death."

He stopped the recording and rewashed his hands, "If you don't mind, Inga, Olga, my hands aren't as steady today, arthritis, you know."

"Of course, Dr. Snozzberry," said both Inga and Olga. The two nurses wheeled over a tray full of scalpels, retractors, bone saws and other instruments for analyzing the dead.

But then Inga tensed, "did you hear that?" she asked.

"Hear what?" Olga asked.

"I…I must be imagining things," laughed Inga, "I thought I heard her breathing."

"Probably air leaking from the lungs," said Dr. Snozzberry, "I'll check to be sure." He grabbed a mirror and brought it over, holding it under Elsabeth's nose. To his surprise, the mirror fogged up somewhat, or at least he thought it did.

"I…my glasses need cleaning, that's it," said Dr. Snozzberry. He hurried over to a sink and ran his glasses under the water.

Curious, Olga picked up the mirror and held it under Elisabeth's nose. To her surprise, the mirror fogged up. To Olga's further surprise, she heard something that sounded like breathing. She bent down to put her ear up to Elisabeth's mouth. What Olga heard next chilled her to the bone.

 _"_ _Wrrrrryyyyy…"_

It was then that Elisabeth's eyes opened, her iris's no longer brown and gray, but an intense shade of violet.

"Doctor! Inga! She's alive!" exclaimed Olga.

It was then that Elisabeth's right hand shot up and grabbed Olga by the back of the neck. Elisabeth sat up and glared ravenously at the helpless nurse. With her left hand, Elisabeth impaled her fingers into Olga's neck, whom could only squirm and make gurgling noises as her life's blood was drained.

"So…thirsty…" said Elisabeth.

…to be continued.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Curious, Olga picked up the mirror and held it under Elisabeth's nose. To her surprise, the mirror fogged up. To Olga's further surprise, she heard something that sounded like breathing. She bent down to put her ear up to Elisabeth's mouth. What Olga heard next chilled her to the bone.

" _Wrrrrryyyyy…"_

It was then that Elisabeth's eyes opened, her iris's no longer brown and gray, but an intense shade of violet.

"Doctor! Inga! She's alive!" exclaimed Olga.

It was then that Elisabeth's right hand shot up and grabbed Olga by the back of the neck. Elisabeth sat up and glared ravenously at the helpless nurse. With her left hand, Elisabeth impaled her fingers into Olga's neck, whom could only squirm and make gurgling noises as her life's blood was drained.

"So…thirsty…" said Elisabeth.

She tossed Olga's semi-desiccated form to the floor, then set her eyes on Inga, whom was so horrified, her mouth was open in a silent scream.

"So thirsty," Elisabeth said again as she reached out and grabbed Inga by the neck, impaling her fingers into the hapless nurse's flesh and siphoning out blood.

"Lord Have Mercy!" exclaimed Dr. Snoozberry as he watched Inga wither into a near bloodless husk.

Elisabeth tossed Inga's near-dead body to the floor next to Olga, then got off the table, glaring at Dr. Snozzberry, "I'm still thirsty."

At that Dr. Snozzberry frantically reached for something in his pocket and pulled out a rosery, holding a silver crucifix out towards Elisabeth, "keep…keep back!" he said in a quivering tone as he backed away, "keep back, you blood-sucking freak!"

"I don't know what you think you hope to do with that thing," said Elisabeth as she walked towards Dr. Snozzberry, "but it's not working on me."

"It…it has to!" stammered Dr. Snozzberry, "vampires can't stand religious icons, and I am a God-fearing man! Lord Have Mercy! Lord Have Mercy! Lord Have Mercy!"

"Yes, pray for mercy," said Elisabeth, "I'll try and make it quick as I satisfy my thirst!" she then blinked in confusion, "wait a moment," she looked down and saw her right foot was facing outward, "I'm not limping anymore!"

"Fa-fascinating," said Dr. Snozzberry in a slightly calmer tone, "it-it seems your resurrection has corrected your physical malformations."

"I can walk!" said Elisabeth joyfully as she made a circuit of the autopsy room, "I can walk without limping! I can walk! And my arm's not broken!" she then blinked in surprise as she realized she was buck naked, "where are my clothes!?" she exclaimed as she frantically covered herself with a nearby sterile sheet.

"I…I sent them to the incinerator when we began the autopsy," said Dr. Snozzberry, "please don't suck my blood!"

"I've got bigger things to worry about than my clothes," said Elisabeth as she fashioned a makeshift toga out of the sheet, "where am I? I've never been to this part of the castle before."

Dr. Snozzberry was about to respond, when he moaned in terror and pointed at the floor. Elisabeth looked and saw Olga and Inga get up, their desiccated flesh filling out somewhat as their skin turned pale, their fingernails elongated into claws, their teeth sharpening into fangs and their eyes turning feral yellow.

"Thirsty!" said both undead nurses, "so thirsty!"

Olga and Inga then looked at Dr. Snozzberry with ravenous expressions, "you…you look so…so…juicy, doctor!" they both said as saliva drooled from their fangs.

"No…" moaned Dr. Snozzberry as the undead nurses advanced on him with clawed hands outstretch to grab, their fangs exposed to rip into his flesh. As if this wasn't horrifying enough, Olga and Inga's tongues stuck out between their jaws and waggled about like accusatory giblets, eager to taste his blood.

"No! Please!" cried Dr. Snozzberry as he found himself backed into a corner, the two newborn vampire nurses mere inches away from taking hold and sucking the life from him, "LORD! SAVE ME!"

"STOP!" shouted Elisabeth, and to her surprise, Inga and Olga stopped in their tracks.

"Come here!" Elisabeth ordered, and the two vampire nurses obediently hurried to her.

"Yes, Mistress!" said both Inga and Olga, "we hear and obey!"

"You can command them!" said an astonished Dr. Snozzberry.

"I think so," said Elisabeth, "I guess it's because I made them vampires, or something." She then shook her head, "this is so confusing to me. The last thing I remember was…my father," her face darkened and twisted with rage, "my father! MY FATHER!" she then slammed both fists onto the autopsy table, which crumpled into a misshapen lump of metal.

"Oh, wow," said Elisabeth as she backed away a pace, "I don't know my own strength," she then held up a fist, "not so weak now, am I, Father? Just you wait!"

"Please…Mistress," said the two vampire nurses, "we are so…so thirsty."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I almost forgot about you," said Elisabeth, "well, I caused this, I should put it to right." She paced back and forth for a few seconds in thought, before addressing Olga and Inga, "you're from one of the relocated villages, right?"

"Yes, Mistress," said Olga and Inga, "We're from Greanatonia Fields. Please, let us sake our thirst!"

"Soon, I promise," said Elisabeth, "I just need to think…okay, you can feed on one or two of the guards, but be careful not to let anyone see you, and clean up the mess after you're done. Dispose of the bodies before they become vampires, do you understand?"

"Yes, Mistress," said both vampire nurses.

"Okay, then," said Elisabeth, "After you've taken your fill of blood, hurry to Greanatonia Fields and hide yourselves and wait for me there. I'll come find you in a few days, but if I'm not there in a week…well…use your best judgement. Oh, and before I forget, if we are really vampires, then avoid the sun at all costs, do you understand?"

"Yes, Mistress," said Olga and Inga.

"Then go," said Elisabeth. She would have left it at that, but something, some instinct emotion, compelled her to speak further, "and may the darkness keep you safe."

"Yes, Mistress," said Olga and Inga. They curtseyed and hurried out of the room.

"Fascinating," said Dr. Snozzberry, "you command your minions as if you were born to wear the mantle of a Dark Lord, or Lady in this case."

"What? No, oh no!" said Elisabeth, "I was just helping them survive, that's all. I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to do now that I'm...I really am a vampire, aren't I?" Again, she blinked in confusion, then her face set into an expression of stony purpose, "why am I wasting time talking to you? My friends are in danger! And I've got an abusive parent to murder!"

She then looked at Dr. Snozzberry, "then again, I don't know where I am in this part of the castle."

"Just go outside into the hallway and turn left," said Dr. Snozzberry, "keep going until you reach the lobby and the elevators, they'll take you back up to the main floors of the castle."

"Thank you," said Elisabeth. Quicker than the blink of an eye, she rushed over and grabbed Dr. Snozzberry by the neck and lifted him up as if he weighed nothing.

"I'm afraid I can't let you live," said Elisabeth, "you might tell my father, and I don't want him to see me coming. Besides," she raised her free hand back, ready to impale him and drain his blood, "I'm still thirsty!"

"No! Don't kill me!" exclaimed Dr. Snozzberry, "don't take my blood! Please! Don't turn me into a vampire! I'll do anything!" He closed his eyes and whimpered pathetically, "Please! PLEASE!"

At that Elisabeth paused in thought, lowering her free hand as she weighed her options. While her thirst was a nagging issue in her throat, she could always feed on the next of her father's goons she came across. She knew she couldn't risk letting her father know she was alive, she reasoned Dr. Snozzberry was too much of a craven little coward to risk his neck. And of course, he did say he'd do anything.

Again, as if on instinct, she lowered the quivering pathologist, "Look at me," Elisabeth commanded, _"Look At Me!"_

Dr. Snozzberry opened his eyes and found himself captivated by Elisabeth's violet iris's. His own eyes dilated, and he fell into a trance.

"From this moment on," said Elisabeth, "you serve me and only me, do you understand?"

"Yes…Mistress," said Dr. Snozzberry in a dazed tone as he surrendered his will, "I serve only you."

"You will continue to work here in The Falcon's Nest," said Elisabeth, "you will keep your head down and your ears open, do you understand?"

"Head down and ears open, Mistress."

"You will learn all that you can about Shadowcast's plans," said Elisabeth, "what the other scientists' projects are and any weaknesses. You will be my spy in their ranks."

"Yes, Mistress," said Dr. Snozzberry, "I will be your spy."

"You will forget this incident happened," said Elisabeth, "only to remember when you hear my call."

"I await your call, Mistress," said Dr. Snozzberry.

"Go, then," said Elisabeth as she released Dr. Snozzberry, "go, and may the darkness keep you safe."

At that Dr. Snozzberry blinked, his eyes contracting to normal. He straightened his lab coat and walked out of the room.

"Well, that was…different…" said Elisabeth. She then took a bracing breath, "I'm different now, really different, but not too different to help my friends! Just hang on, Jojo! You and the other's just hang on, I'm coming to help! And you just wait too, Father! Just try and stop me again!"

* * *

 **…Elsewhere…**

"Standby to surface!" said Harriet as she stood in the wheelhouse of The Gray Phantom. A few manipulated controls later and the submarine surfaced in a large lake. As the water flowed down over the forward windows, Harriet and the bridge crew could see very little.

"Great, another cave," said a disgruntled Claudine as she slumped against the wheel.

"No, it's not a cave!" exclaimed Geoffrey as the window cleared, "Stars! My God! I can see STARS!"

"It is stars, Captain!" said Sammy Smee joyfully.

"You're right, Mr. Smee," said a happily smiling Harriet, "you're absolutely right!"

Harriet then heard a commotion from the lower decks. She went down the stairs and found a crush of her crew straining to get to the main hatch. It seemed everyone wanted to be the first up on deck.

"Now Hear This!" exclaimed Harriet, startling her panicking crew into attention.

"Okay, mates," said Harriet, "I know the past few hours have been highly stressful, especially since the discovery of the traitor in our ranks. Believe me, Ms. Seuton's punishment will be one to remember."

"She'll get hers, alright, Skipper," said Anthony, "but we just want to go topside; to see the open sky and feel the wind on our faces again." At that the crew murmured and shouted in agreement.

"As do I, mates, as do I!" said Harriet, "but there's no reason to stampede like cattle. What are we? Pirates or sea cows?"

"PIRATES!" shouted her crew.

"Alright, then," said Harriet as she went to the hatch controls, "we'll do this in an orderly fashion. Mr. Smee…assemble the crew on deck." She pressed the switch that opened the hatch.

A few minutes later the crew of The Gray Phantom joyfully stood on the sub's deck, basking in the heavily glory of the stars above. Yet Harriet, Owen and Mr. Smee were the only ones focused on other matters.

"As near as I can tell, Skipper," said Owen as he consulted his tablet and some printed charts, "we're twenty kilometers from Heinrich von Karstein's seat of power, The Falcon's Nest."

"That castle ten-thousand feet up in the air," said Harriet, "this could be problematic."

"It's more than problematic, Captain," said Mr. Smee, "we never anticipated a ten-thousand-foot climb when we prepared for our voyage. The crew has never faced such an extreme physical challenge. Even if the crew was in such shape, there's no equipment aboard for the climb."

"Since when has lack of equipment and physical fitness ever been a problem for pirates, Mr. Smee?" Harriet asked, "and before you ask, I'm already formulating a plan. The Falcon's Nest is one tough nut to crack, but there's always a way to get to the kernel."

"Indeed, Skipper," said Owen, "old castles like this, there's always a secret way in and out, even one built atop a ten-thousand-foot escarpment; a supply elevator or a hidden stairway or something. We just need to find it. Hang on…yes…yes! There is an old freight elevator we can use to get up!"

"You see, Mr. Smee?" Harriet asked, "nothing to worry about. As soon as the crew is finished relieving their claustrophobia, form an assault party. We're heading inland!"

A short time later the ship's launch approached the shore of the lake. Aboard the launch was Harriet, Sammy Smee, Claudine, Clay, Geoffrey and several fighters, having left Anthony, Ginny and Owen in charge back aboard The Gray Phantom.

"If Mr. Owen's directions are correct," said Harriet as her crewmates secured the launch to the shore, "the escarpment is to the east. We should see it better when the sun comes up."

"It'll cast a long shadow, Skipper," said Clay, "but we're ready."

"Ready to make Uma and her underlings pay for humiliating us, Skipper!" said Geoffrey, to which Claudine and the others in the assault party nodded in agreement.

"This will end in tears," muttered Sammy Smee.

"Having second thoughts, Mr. Smee?" Harriet asked suspiciously.

"Well…yes, Captain," said Sammy Smee, "it's not too late to turn back to The Gray Phantom and leave. We should…no…we must turn back. This is an evil land, Captain, a land full of horrors and corruption. To continue forward will lead to death and only death."

"WHY YOU CRAVEN LITTLE COWARD!" bellowed Geoffrey as he started towards Sammy Smee with murder in his eyes. It took nearly everything Clay, Claudine and the rest of the assault party had to keep Geoffrey from reaching out and strangling Sammy Smee.

"That's enough, Mr. Huntsman!" said Harriet sternly.

"No, Skipper!" Geoffrey shouted as he struggled to free himself from his restrainers, "the little sea slug needs to learn the price for cowardliness!"

"I'm no sea slug!" said Sammy Smee, "I just…I have a very, very bad feeling about this, that's all."

"You really do sense impending doom, Mr. Smee?" Harriet asked.

"Yes, Captain," said Sammy Smee in a slightly ashamed tone.

"If he doesn't want to come, then he should go back to the boat," said Clay, "and stop dragging us down."

"No, he's coming with us," Harriet insisted, "I'm beginning to believe our Mr. Smee has a touch of The Sight, a sixth sense if you will."

"You mean he's psychic?" laughed Claudine.

"We've seen stranger things," said Harriet, "this is Mr. Owen's forte as the shipboard scientist, but who knows who else in the crew has abilities suppressed by The Isle's barrier? So, Mr. Smee, what do to with you? Will you slink back to The Gray Phantom like the coward Mr. Huntsman believes you to be? Or will you use your new Sight to help us?"

"I…of course I'll help!" said Sammy Smee, "I'm a pirate under your command! Where you order, I'll go!"

"And what do pirates do, Mr. Smee?"

"Go where we want," said Sammy Smee, "do what we want and take what we want!"

"And what do we do to anything in our way?" Harriet asked.

"Smash it!" said Sammy Smee.

"Well spoken, Mr. Smee," said Harriet, "now, shall we continue on our quest to recover our stolen pride?"

"That's not all Uma took from you," said Clay.

"Yes, my mask," said Harriet grimly, "I want my mask back! I'll get it back if it's the last thing I ever do! And I'll smash through Uma or anything else that stands in my way!"

It was then the shore party heard rifles cocking. They then saw three laser sights aiming at Harriet's heart.

"Uh…can pirates smash their way through bullets, Mr. Smee?" Harriet asked nervously.

"Not that I'm aware of, Captain," said Mr. Smee nervously as he and the others raised their hands in surrender.

* * *

 **…The Falcon's Nest…**

"You have to admit it, girls," said Lonnie as she stood in a full-length bathrobe with similarly attired Jane, Mal and Audrey next to her, along with several female guards and maids, "the tailors in Transdoria, they work fast."

"Yeah, too bad their fashion taste is highly impractical," said a disgruntled Mal.

" _Impractical_?!" exclaimed a highly uncomfortable Evie as she stood behind a privacy screen, "this thing is downright torture!"

"Oh come on, Evie," said Jane, "it can't be that bad."

Evie shuffled out into the open, wearing a massive white wedding gown with an enormous train, gloves that went up to her shoulders and a very tight waist. To complete the outfit, two maids attached a nearly opaque veil to a headband in Evie's outlandishly braided hair. The maids and guards in the room all voiced their approval at Evie's appearance, yet all Evie could do was look miserable beneath the layers of makeup caked onto her face.

Another pair of maids brought over a full-length mirror. "I look like an overpriced doll!" said a disgusted Evie as she studied her reflection, "and whoever designed this ensemble should have their eyes gouged out and hands cut off!"

"Well…it could be worse," said Lonnie.

"You think this could be worse!?" exclaimed Evie as she shuffled over, "I can barely breathe in this thing, it's so heavy I can hardly walk, and as if that weren't enough, I have to marry a humanoid pig while wearing it! Now you tell me how it can be worse! And don't forget, this is the traditional outfit for a bride in Transdoria, so you, Mal, Jane and Audrey all have a getup just like this waiting for you to squeeze into."

"Uh…at least it'll be over soon?" Lonnie suggested, "I mean, it could be a short wedding, right?" She looked at one of the maids, "right?"

At that the maid shook her head, "I'm afraid not, m'lady. Transdorian weddings are long and lavish affairs. The ceremony lasts over an hour, then there's the reception that can go on for half a day, depending on how rich the parents of the bride and groom are."

"And since Count von Karstein is the richest man in the land," said another maid, "the reception could last as long as he wants. And then, of course, there's the wedding night, or morning or afternoon, depending on how long Count von Karstein and his sons wish to party."

"Uh-uh!" exclaimed Mal, "no way am I going through with any of this stupidity! I'm not marrying Heinrich and my friends aren't marrying his sons!"

"Oh, get a grip already Mal!" snapped Evie, "it's over, we've lost! We have to marry the von Karsteins, because if we don't, then Ben and the others get their heads blown off!"

"That doesn't mean we have to give up!" said Mal defiantly, "There's got to be a way out of this, there has to be!" She looked at her friends one by one, from Evie to Lonnie to Jane, "come on, we can't give up!" She looked at Audrey, frowning at the mute expression on her face, "don't give up, Audrey!"

Yet all Audrey did was sit and cry silently, occasionally sobbing and blinking away her tears, only for more tears to well up.

"Okay, what's her problem?" Mal asked.

"You still need work on your social skills, Mal," said Jane.

"She's taking Elisabeth's death really hard," said Lonnie, "you'd be that upset too if you saw your bosom companion murdered before your eyes."

"Her what?" Mal asked.

"'Bosom companion,'" said a somewhat astonished Jane, "of course, when Audrey told Elisabeth she could call her by her nickname, which she never lets anyone do."

"What nickname?" Mal asked, "you mean 'Jojo?' I thought her grandmother called her that."

"Well, she let Elisabeth call her JoJo," said Lonnie, "and now Elisabeth's gone, murdered by her own father." She sat next to the distraught Audrey, "I can only imagine what Audrey's feeling deep down in her heart."

What Audrey was feeling at that exact moment was a mix of crippling sorrow and existential despair. Conflicting thoughts of mourning and suicide clashed with her survival instincts. Yet beneath this something darker had sparked into existence, a feeling of utter hatred Audrey wouldn't have considered before her life had turned upside-down. For the first time in Audrey's life, she wanted revenge. She hated Heinrich and his sons so much, she contemplated murdering them in Elisabeth's name, not just for her own satisfaction, but so Elisabeth could rest in peace.

' _They'll pay for this, Cassandra,'_ Audrey thought, _'I swear on your memory, I'll make them pay!'_

* * *

"Where's Heinrich getting all the money to pay for all of this?" Uma asked as she, wearing a different, slightly more conservative aquatic-colored gown, walked into the outlandishly decorated chapel of the castle. To call it a chapel would be a gross understatement, for the whole area was as big as a cathedral and could host almost a thousand people.

"The same place he gets the cash to fund Shadowcast's efforts," said Adriane, whom now wore a periwinkle and orange dress, "no one knows. Seriously, it's one of Heinrich's closely guarded secrets."

"Well, wherever he gets his gold," said Harry, whom was wearing an identical tuxedo to the one Gil sported, "as long as he doesn't forget that a portion of that booty is ours."

"We still need to earn it, Harry," said Gil after swallowing another Mentat, "the experiment with Heinrich's wayward daughter was a colossal failure."

"It's not his fault his daughter turned out such a wimp," said Adriane, "at least he didn't destroy The Stone Mask out of spite. I just need to get it back from him and test it out on another subject, hopefully one with more vitality and won't croak from the vampirization process."

"Well, whichever one you pick," said Uma as she saw that she and her fellows weren't the first guests in the chapel, "leave Ben to me. Now that he's helpless and feeling terrible, I don't want to destroy him just yet, not while I can still make him even more miserable."

She hurried forward to where Ben and the others sat in the front rows of pews. Our heroes hadn't been forced to dress up for the occasion, yet their guards, wearing dress uniforms, kept close eyes on them.

"Hey, Benny-Bo!" said Uma with mock delight as she flung her arms around Ben's neck, "how's it going?"

"I'd be happier if you respected my personal space!" said Ben irately.

"What do you want, Uma?" Jay asked as he crossed his arms with distain.

"I'm just here to console Ben in his time of need," said Uma, "he must be feeling really bad at losing his girl to another man. Thought I wouldn't blame Mal for dumping Ben for someone as great and powerful as Count von Karstein. Who knows? She may even like being called Countess von Karstein."

"Stop it, Uma!" snapped Carlos as he, Jay and Doug glared at her.

"All I'm doing is providing a shoulder for Ben to cry on," said Uma, "and be there to catch him on the rebound. After he gets over Mal dumping him, he'll need a new girlfriend." She then looked at Ben in the eyes, "that's right, Ben; as soon as Heinrich and Mal say 'I do,' I'll have you all to myself. Who knows? Maybe it'll be our turn next at the altar. Of course, we can't expect my mom to help with the wedding. I may even intentionally forget to send her an invite. As for your parents, whom I'll soon call 'mom and dad,' they'll…GLUK!"

Ben, his eyes turning feral, had grabbed Uma by the neck and lifted her up, intending to strangle the daughter of Ursula. Fortunately for Uma, Ben's collar began beeping and the LED lights on it began flashing.

"Put her down, _your majesty_ ," said one of the guards as he held a remote detonator in one hand. The detonator had two toggle switches, one already flipped up and the guard's thumb on the other, "put her down or it's off with your head!"

His rage deflating like a balloon, Ben released Uma. She landed hard on her behind with a loud 'OOF!' The guard chuckled to himself as he flipped the first toggle down and Ben's collar stopped beeping and flashing.

"I may lose Mal forever," said Ben coldly as he glared down at Uma, "but I'll never give myself to you, never!"

Uma glared back at Ben as she stood up, "We'll soon see about that," she said with equal coldness. She then smiled with mock enjoyment, "I'll see you at the wedding reception." With that she hurried back to Adriane and her crewmates.

"That slimy squid is really starting to annoy me," said Chad.

"You're annoyed now?" Carlos asked, "we grew up with her. And technically she's more of an octopus than a squid."

"What difference does it make?" Jay said in a frustrated tone, "our girls are about to marry the enemy, and there's nothing we can do about it!"

"There's plenty we can do," said Doug, "we just need to get these darn collars off first!"

"I hope we do soon," said Chad as he tried scratching beneath his collar, "because mine's starting to itch!"

"Don't!" said Phillip as he grabbed Chad's hand and lowered it, "it might go off accidentally!"

"I don't care," said Chad, "it itches too much!"

"How do you not care?" Aurora asked incredulously, "if it goes off, it'll take your head off with it!"

"So what?" Chad asked.

"So, you can't live without your head!" said Mulan.

"That's assuming there's anything in his head to get blown off in the first place," said Carlos.

"Hey! I resemble that!" said Chad.

"You sure do," said Carlos.

"You know, I once hard about someone surviving a shotgun blast to the head and making a full recovery," said Saul.

"Was it just one shell?" Doug asked, "because these collars have four shells in them. If they go off, there won't be enough left of our heads to fill a cereal bowl for breakfast."

"I know someone who could survive four shotgun blasts to the head," said Jill as she smiled to herself.

"Oh, don't start up with your ex, Jill!" said Saul in a disapproving tone, "this isn't the time!"

"Well, what else are we gonna talk about?" asked Jill as she looked around at the guests slowly filing into the chapel, "it's not like they're ready to start any time soon." She looked at Ben and the others, "before Andrew and I realized we were soulmates, I was in a serious relation with Joy Division's strongman, Max Kildare."

'The Indestructible Man!'" said Ben, "I remember him when the circus came to Auradon; that guy's hardcore!"

"He let himself get shot by a real cannon and survived all sorts of deadly stunts," said Doug to Jay and Carlos, "our folks all said it was a trick, but we kids, we thought it was real."

"Oh, it was real, alright," said Jill, "Max, he can't die. No matter how bad he gets hurt, no matter how grievous his wounds, he comes back for more."

"How?" an astonished Carlos asked, "is it a Stand ability? Or maybe a Hamon technique?"

"Neither," said Andrew, "Max was subjected to a cellular regeneration experiment, and it worked; Max's body heals itself so fast, he's practically immortal, and I mean practically. Just turned sixty but looks half his age. He's sure he'll die one day of extreme old age."

"This is all incredible," said Ben, "why aren't there more like Max?"

"We destroyed Shadowcast's research and equipment for the experiment," said Jill, "we had to. Can you imagine what Shadowcast would do if it could make an army of indestructible super soldiers?"

"I get your point," said Ben. He leaned back and sighed, "so, now what?"

"Now," said Andrew as he smiled, "now we wait."

"You've got something going, don't you," Jill asked in a hushed tone, keeping one eye on the guards and their detonators, "you're working on a plan."

"The start of a plan," Andrew whispered, "but I have one card up my sleeve Heinrich missed when he took our stuff." She took Jill's hand in his and placed it on his thigh.

"Oh for crying out loud," said a disapproving Aurora, "is this really the time for hanky-panky?"

"No, this is far from marital bliss," Jill whispered as she glared at Andrew with a mix of love and annoyance, "my husband has a grenade in his pocket."

It was all Ben and the others could do to stop themselves from shouting in surprise.

"Seven hells, man," said an astonished Phillip, "how'd you manage to sneak a grenade past the enemy?"

"Well," said a somewhat embarrassed Andrew, "remember back in the armory when Jill said I couldn't take a grenade?"

"I distinctly remember saying no," said Jill, "alright, husband of mine, where'd you hide it?"

"In the one place you wouldn't look," said Andrew, "where even the enemy wouldn't look."

"You mean up your…?" a horrified and disgusted Jay asked.

"What? No! Ugh!" said Andrew, "I'd never do that! I hid the grenade in the barrel of Big Bang Theory. It just took me a while to get it out of the barrel while I was in the bathroom."

"Wait, you did what?" Doug asked, "you hid the grenade in your Stand? How?"

"I shoved the grenade down the barrel and it went with Big Bang Theory back into my mind," said Andrew, "and before you ask, yes, it is possible for a Stand to take physical objects with them back into their User's psyche." He then frowned and winced as he rubbed the side of his head, "though it is highly unadvisable, I've still got a whopper of a headache."

"Oh, poor baby," said Jill, "let me kiss it and make it all better," with that she peppered Andrew's head with her lips. Andrew's mood brightened and he embraced Jill, kissing her with rising passion, which she returned with equal fervor.

"Again, is this the time for that?" a disapproving Aurora asked, "my daughter is about to be married against her will to the last boy on Earth I would ever approve of."

"She's right," said a somewhat disappointed Andrew as he and Jill broke apart from their face-sucking session, "we'll fool around later."

"Okay, so you've got a grenade," said Ben, "how are you gonna use it?"

"That I haven't figured out yet," said Andrew, "Young Douglas is right; first we gotta get these death collars off, and to do that, we need the master control detonator."

"The what now?" Mulan asked.

"The collars are locked electronically," said Andrew, "and while our screws," he indicated the guards, "while they've got remotes to blow our heads off, none of them can unlock the collars. That ability lies in the master control detonator, which our gracious host has."

"Heinrich," said Ben, "somehow we've got to get it away from him."

"I've got an idea," said Doug, "when the grooms come in, Andrew grabs one and threatens to pull the pin on the grenade if Heinrich doesn't let us go, all of us."

"He'll just blow Andrew's head off," said Jay.

"Not if Andrew put his head right next to one of his sons," said Doug, "that way the shotgun shells will take the other guy's head off with Andrew's." He then frowned with disappointment, "no, that won't work, 'cause Heinrich will just blow off someone else's head, or worse, we'll end up with a stalemate."

"Wow, that's really dark of you," said an impressed and somewhat worried Aurora.

"He's becoming more and more of a VK all the time," said Carlos.

"And proud of it," said Doug, "I'll do whatever I have to do to get Evie back home safe and sound, even if it means shaking hands with the devil."

"Been there, done that," scoffed Saul. At that Ben and the others from Auradon looked at him with confused and slightly afraid eyes, "Well," said a somewhat sheepish Saul, "it was _a_ devil, not _The_ Devil, mind you."

"At this point," said Ben, "I'll take whatever help we can get, even if it's from The Devil."

* * *

"The Devil take my father for making this place so big," said Elisabeth as she franticly searched the upper levels of the castle, "no, I take that back, it was my ancestors who made the castle so big. It's my father's fault for restoring it so well!"

She then let out a frustrated growl and slammed her fist into the wall, breaking off a sizable chunk of the masonry in the process.

"Where Is Everybody!?" Elisabeth exclaimed.

"Um…I'm here," said a timid voice from around the corner. Out cautiously walked Laura, now dressed in a lion tamer's outfit complete with a long bullwhip and a traveling valise slung over one shoulder.

"I know you," said Elisabeth, "you're the chambermaid who tried to help JoJo and the others."

"To help who?" Laura asked, "oh! You mean Princess Audrey and her friends. Wait…who are you? You're not working for one of the von Karstein's aren't you?"

"It's worse, I am a von Karstein," said Elisabeth, "I wish I wasn't, but you can't pick and choose your family, unfortunately. But after tonight, hopefully, I'll be rid of my father and brothers once and for all."

At that Elisabeth blinked in surprise and curiosity, "no, it can't be. You can't be Elisabeth. You can't be her! Elisabeth von Karstein is…is…"

"A limping, cowardly waste of DNA?" Elisabeth asked, "not anymore, I'm not."

"Of course you're not," said Laura as she saw Elisabeth's no longer clubbed foot, "but…it's just…what happened to you?"

"My father tried to kill me," said Elisabeth, "it didn't work."

"I almost wish my father would kill me," said Laura, "if it'd make me as gorgeous as you."

"Gorgeous?" Elisabeth asked, "I'm not gorgeous. I'm plain, almost ugly, if you believe what my father rants about me when he thinks no one is listening."

"Believe me, you're beautiful," said Laura as she opened her valise and pulled out a hand mirror. She held it out to Elisabeth, "the proof is in the pudding."

"Thanks for the offer," said Elisabeth as she took the mirror, "but I know what I'll see, what all vampires see, nothing."

"You might be surprised," said Laura. She then did a double take, "wait…did you say vampire?"

But Elisabeth had only eyes for her reflection, marveling in awe at her transformed face, especially her eyes. "Oh…my…god! I'm…I'm…"

"Stunning?" Laura suggested in a slightly nervous tone, "captivating? Uh…radiant and…"

"I look like my mother," said Elisabeth as she handed the mirror back to Laura, "you don't believe me?"

Without warning, Elisabeth grabbed Laura and picked her up like a child. She then dashed through the castle corridors for several seconds before arriving at her secluded quarters.

"Oh…oh…!" panted Laura as she collapsed into a chair, fighting to control her racing pulse and respiration, "that…that was…"

"This new body of mine is incredible!" said Elisabeth as she wondered at herself, "I'm stronger and faster than my father and brothers! And I should know, I spied on them training long enough. Oh, I'm sorry." She helped Laura sit down, "I don't know my own power yet, but I'm working on it."

She then turned the chair so Laura could look at the Elisabeth's recreation of her family portrait, "you see my mother? Do you see how happy she was?"

"Yeah, I do," said Laura as she looked at the image of Helena von Karstein. She stood up to look closer, comparing Helena with Elisabeth, then looked between Elisabeth and the representation of her younger self, "I almost don't believe my own eyes. You and your mother could be sisters, if not twins. What the hell did they do to you?"

"Like I said, my father tried to kill me," said Elisabeth, "and it didn't work, so now he has to pay, if only I could find him."

"I know where your father and brothers are," said Laura, "where everyone else is; the castle chapel."

"Oh, the chapel," said Elisabeth, "no problem, I know exactly where it is…wait, why is my family in the chapel? Unless…"

"They're going ahead with the weddings," said Laura, "only instead of marrying Gustav, Evie's marrying Stefan, while your father's taking Mal as a second wife."

At that Elisabeth grabbed a nearby candlestick and threw it at the image of Heinrich. It penetrated the stone almost all the way right where Heirnich's heart would be.

"That's not going to happen," said Elisabeth as she trembled with rage, "there's no way I'll allow JoJo and her friends to marry into my monstrous family! Instead of a wedding, it'll be a funeral!

"Wait, don't go yet!" said Laura, "if you go charging in there, you could get the others killed. Your father is holding Audrey's friends and my friends hostage." At that she told Elisabeth about the shotgun collars around the necks of Ben and the others.

"As if I needed another reason to hate him," said Elisabeth.

"If we're gonna save all of our friends, we'll need to work together," said Laura, "I can handle myself in a fight and take on most of Heinrich's guards, but he'll kill Jill and the others before I can get to him. We need some way of distracting him so I can get into position and deactivate those shotgun collars."

"Well, I'm open to suggestions," said a somewhat exasperated Elisabeth, "my father has been working for this very moment for a long time. It's been one of his driving obsessions to see my brothers married and further the family bloodline."

"Why?" Laura asked, "why's he so eager to have grandchildren? He's not that old, at least I don't think so, and he already has grandchildren from Stefan and Claudette."

"Ava and Erik," said Elisabeth, "I sincerely hope they're spared from my father's corruption. I really don't know why he's so obsessed. Not even Stefan and the other boys really get what drives him. No, the only one who truly understood my father was my mother, and she's…" she then looked at Helena's image, tears welling up in her violet eyes.

"I'm sorry," said Laura as she stood next to Elisabeth, "I'm sure you loved her very much and she loved you right back. From what I heard, she was an incredible woman."

"The best, the very best," said Elisabeth, "my mother was the only one who could tell my father what to do. He could never refuse anything she asked for. Why, I'll bet if her ghost were to appear in the chapel and…" at that she smiled, "I just had a wild and crazy idea."

Once again, Elisabeth picked up Laura without warning and dashed out of the room, only this time they went into the secret passages. Several seconds of high-speed running behind the walls and they arrived in a lavishly decorated yet darkened set of rooms.

"Warn…me…next…time…will you!?" panted Laura as she leaned down to catch her breath, "where are…we now?"

"My mother's apartments," said Elisabeth as she lit several nearby candles, "my father had them sealed after her funeral, he couldn't bare to face the memories, I suppose. He wanted to leave everything here to rot and suffocate in dust, but I crept in here whenever I could. I couldn't let my mother's possessions decay and fade away."

She then walked over to a set of doors and threw them open, accidentally tearing the doors off their hinges, "uh…oops!"

"You really need to get your powers under control," said Laura, "you know, my friends could help you with that…" she then frowned slightly with nervousness, "but you gotta promise not to suck everyone's blood. You're not gonna suck my blood, are you?"

"I'm saving my thirst for my father's guards," said Elisabeth, "don't worry, I'll only kill those who need killing. Now, I'll need your help" She then gently took Laura by the hand and, with a lit candlestick in the other hand, lead Laura into an enormous closet filled with dresses in every color of the rainbow and various styles.

"These are all your mother's?" Laura asked with wide eyes.

"She had impeccable taste," said Elisabeth, "and I need to pick out one that'll really get my family's attention."

At that Laura smiled with mischievous glee, "oh, I get what you're getting at!" she then let out a delighted giggle, "Heinrich's gonna have a heart attack! Don't worry, with my help, you're gonna knock 'em dead, literally! But we'd better hurry, it's almost showtime!"

* * *

"Oh, Good Grob!" said Saul as he and the others heard the organist warming up, "it's almost showtime!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Aurora, "if we're gonna do anything, it's not or never."

"No, not yet," said Andrew.

"Why not now?" Phillip asked, "the enemy's guard is lowered. All we have to do is grab one of them and…"

"We don't know which guard has the remote for which collar," said Jill, "I could grab the one for your neck and then my head gets blown off. No, we wait for Andrew's plan."

"Well, any chance he can tell us what that plan is?" Jay asked, "we're running out of time!"

As if to emphasize Jay's point, Heinrich and his sons filled into the chapel, with Heinrich and his sons wearing white dress uniforms so bright, they were almost too painful to look at. Gustav, however, wore a black uniform and walked behind his brothers with a miserable expression on his face, while Stefan looked almost as unhappy.

"Well, what's the plan Andrew?" Carlos asked as the guests erupted unto thunderous applause as Heinrich and his sons took their place at the altar where a wizened priest in outlandish robes stood waiting. Gustav stood to one side in the place of a Best Man.

"I'm working on it!" said Andrew, "I'm working on it!"

"Well, work faster!" said Mulan, "my daughter and her friends are about to walk down that isle and lose her freedom forever!" She then jammed her hand into Andrew's pocket, "give me that grenade! If you won't do something, I will!"

"No way!" said Andrew as he furiously but quietly fought to keep Mulan from grabbing the grenade.

"For goodness sake, Mulan," said Aurora, "behave yourself!"

"I'll behave when my daughter is home safe and sound!" said Mulan furiously through gritted teeth. Her outraged expression rapidly changed to confusion to horror as she slowly pulled her hand out of Andrew's pocket with the pin for the grenade dangling from one finger, "oh no, oh no!"

"Uh, Andrew…" said an equally frightened Jill.

"It's alright," said Andrew as he held his hand tightly over the grenade in his pocket, "the lever's still in place. I just have to keep my hand on it and we're fine." He then smiled slightly, "this might just work in our favor if I play it right."

Ben and the others were about to inquire further as to Andrew's plan, when to their dismay the organist began playing a wedding march. Everyone looked and saw Mal, Evie, Audrey, Jane and Lonnie, all looking quite miserable in contrast to their overly flamboyant wedding gowns. The five reluctant brides were lead down the aisle with Claudette and her children. Claudette, looking radiant in a bridesmaid gown, looked just as miserable as Mal and the others, if not more.

"Now, Andrew?" Ben asked as the hundreds of Transdorian guests 'oohed' and 'ahed' at Mal and the others, remarking how beautiful the five brides looked.

"Not yet," said Andrew, "as soon as the priest asks for objections, that's when I'll make my move. We just have to be patient."

"I don't think I can wait that long," said Ben impatiently as Mal and the others arrived at the altar, with Heinrich smugly taking Mal's arm in his, while a distraught Stefan took Evie's arm as he looked longingly at Claudette. She could only watch from the side as Stefan and Evie approached the altar, while Wilhelm took Audrey's arm, Frederic took Jane and Karl took Lonnie.

"I can't stand it," whispered a furiously trembling Ben as the priest began the sermon in a rather droll, droning voice, "I can't stand seeing that pig Heinrich touching Mal! I'm going!"

"No you're not!" Jay quietly hissed, "we have to wait."

"I'm going!" spat Ben, "and don't try and stop me!"

"Don't you dare!" said Carlos, "don't blow this. We've only got one chance."

"And I'm taking it!" said Ben as his eyes turned feral and she started to rise. But then Jill grabbed his hand and forced him back down, her hand glowing slightly with Hamon.

"I'm sorry to meddle with your brain chemistry again, your grace," said Jill as Ben began to calm down, "but I can't let you throw away your life, no matter how much your heart hurts."

"You have no idea how much my heart hurts," said Ben in a more relaxed yet morose tone. He looked longingly at Mal. As if sensing his gaze, Mal turned her head and locked longing eyes with Ben.

But then Heinrich grabbed Mal's chin and turned her head towards him, "eyes on me, my love," he said in a malicious tone, "after this, you'll never have to think about that pup again. And if you have any other ideas," he then pulled out a remote detonator with three toggles, "one little switch flip and all your friends lose their heads." He then looked at the priest apologetically, "do continue, your honor."

"He's got the master detonator in his right-hand coat pocket," said Andrew to Ben and the others, "we just have to wait a little longer."

* * *

Almost an hour later and the priest was still droning on and on with the sermon.

"Come on!" said an antsy Harry under his breath, "just make them swap rings and say the words already!"

"Don't be so negative, Harry," said Gil as he popped another Mentant into his mouth, "it's a traditional Transdorian wedding. They're supposed to be long."

"But I am negative, Gil," said Harry, "my feet keep falling asleep, these benches are way too uncomfortable, and I'm getting hungry. I hope the reception has some decent vittles."

"Just focus on the food and drink to come, my young buccaneer," said Adriane, "but I have to agree. Of all the weddings I've had to endure in my life, this is the worst."

"How many weddings have you gone to?" Uma asked.

"Let's see," said Adriane thoughtfully, "there were the seven where I was the bride, the thirty-four where I was a bridesmaid, and this will make the two-hundred and twenty-fourth where I was a guest."

"No way," said Uma in a disbelieving tone, "you're jerking my anchor line."

"I'm a lot older than I look," said Adriane, "how old do you think I am?"

"I…uh…I wouldn't even know where to guess," said Uma.

Adriane whispered something into Uma's ear, to which Uma's eyes widened in surprise, "really? What's your secret?"

"Can you keep a secret?" Adriane asked.

"Of course," said Uma.

"So can I," said Adriane teasingly.

It was then that the priest finally spoke up for everyone in the chapel to hear, "If there be anyone here who objects to the union of these five ladies to these five gentlemen, speak now or forever hold your peace!"

"Now," said Andrew calmly. Keeping his hand firmly on the grenade in his pocket, he started to rise voice his objections, when suddenly…

"HEINRICH!"

"Now what?" asked Andrew as he sat down while the assembled guests gasped and murmured in mixed surprise and outrage at the voice resounding from the entrance of the chapel. There stood a woman wearing a blue and green gown that accented a curvaceous figure with long, raven black hair, an intoxicatingly beautiful face and captivating violet eyes.

"Who is that?" an aroused Gil asked and he and Harry could not take their eyes from the woman.

"I don't know, but I'm feeling kinda jealous," said Uma as the woman walked down the aisle, her face set with disgruntled indignation.

"It can't be," said a confused and somewhat afraid Adriane, "it just can't be. She died years ago."

As the woman got closer and closer to the altar, more and more guests let lose cries of surprise and horror.

"What Is This Nonsense!?" Heinrich shouted, "Who Dares Interrupt My Wedding!? Heads Will Roll For This Outrage!"

The woman then stopped within three paces of the altar, "come now, Heinrich," she said in an authoritative manner, "don't you recognize your other half to your soul?"

At that Heinrich gasped in shock as his face turned pale, "no…it…it cannot be!"

"Mother?" Stefan asked loud enough for everyone in the chapel to hear, to which his brothers, Heinrich and the other Transdorians let out mixed cries of shock and horror.

"Lady Helena?" a terrified Claudette asked.

Helena von Karstein ignored her as she walked up to Heinrich with a look of righteous indignation on her face, "tell me, husband of mine, did you honestly think you could marry some misbegotten half breed tramp and get away with it? Well, Heinrich?! Did you!?"

"Hey, who are you calling a half breed?!" said an offended Evie.

"Don't antagonize the revenant!" said a visibly afraid Lonnie, "she'll curse you or something!"

"And you!" exclaimed Helena as she focused her otherworldly angst on Lonnie, "what makes you so special to think you can take one of my sons for yourself?!"

"I...I didn't…I don't…" stammered Lonnie.

"Mother, please," said Karl, "it's just…it's what Father wants and…"

"Don't tell me what your father wants, young man!" snapped Helena, "I've known him longer than you were alive! Did it ever occur to you to take my feelings into consideration when choosing a wife?! Did you not for one moment even think about what I wanted for my children?!"

She then glared at Wilhelm and Frederic, whom shrunk back in terror, "and you two," she said coldly, "don't think I am unaware of your behavior; the countless animals you tortured to death, your perverse sexual games with the maids and young girls brought from the villages, your demented plans for your future brides! Sickening! You make me sick to my stomach! I regret giving birth to the two of you!"

Helena then glared at Gustav, "you're just a disappointment," then at Stefan, "you're the only one of my issue to amount worth a damn. I only hope your children don't turn out as cruel and barbaric as your brothers."

She then glared at Audrey, Jane, Lonnie and Evie, "and you four, what makes you lot think you're so special for my children!?" She then glared at Mal, "and then there's you, the usurper."

"Uh…listen, uh…Mrs. von Karstein," said Mal nervously, "you…"

" _Countess_ von Karstein!" snapped Helena, "you'd best remember who you are speaking to, young lady! Did you honestly think you could come into my house and take my place! Did you think I'd allow you to sleep in my apartments, wear my clothes and jewelry! That I would let you wear my pearl necklace! The very same pearl necklace my husband made for me? Did he tell you the tale of how he dove into the ocean, harvested the pearls from the oysters and strung them on a string and placed it around my neck? Well? Did he tell you?"

"No, you've got it all wrong!" said Mal, "my friends and I…"

"Yes, you and your friends," said Helena contemptuously, "you come here and think you can do as you like," she then looked and Ben and the others, "just look at you lot, all ragged and covered in dust! How dare you enter this sacred temple in such a filthy state!"

"It's not like want to be dirty," said Ben as he started to stand up, "we…"

"I don't want to hear any excuses!" shouted Helena, "I want you out of my house this instant!" She then looked at Mal, "Get out of my house! Take your friends and go!"

"Uh…Helena…my love," said Heinrich nervously, "you can't…you're…you simply can't come back from the grave and…"

At that Helena focused her violet eyes on Heinrich and he flinched back in terror, "don't think you can tell me what to do because I'm dead! Did you honestly think I'd rest easy, knowing you'd share your bed with the first pretty girl to catch your eye!? I want that usurping tramp and her filthy friends out of my house! Now, Heinrich!"

Heinrich looked like he was tearing in half on the inside. Two opposing forces were at war in his mind; his agenda and his love Helena. Yet despite his evil plans for the future, his devotion to the past won out.

"Yes, Helena," said Heinrich in a defeated tone, "anything for you."

"What's happening?" Chad asked as Heinrich slowly reached for the remote detonator in his pocket, "are Audrey and the others getting married or not?"

"You're hopeless," said a disgruntled Carlos.

"Is that really a ghost?" Jay asked, "is that Heinrich's dead wife come back from beyond?"

"I don't know, but I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth," said Ben as Heinrich pulled out the remote detonator, "as soon as Heinrich unlocks the collars, we're grabbing Mal and the others and getting the flip out of here!"

"WAIT, FATHER!" shouted Stefan, "DON'T DO IT!"

"What?!" exclaimed both Heinrich and Helena.

"What's wrong?" Claudette asked as she hurried over to her husband.

"That's not my mother!" said Stefan as he pointed an accusing finger at Helena, "that's not Helena von Karstein!"

"If course that isn't Mother," said Karl, "that's Mother's ghost."

"No, it's not," said Stefan, "I know my mother and this isn't her!"

"Of course I'm your mother," said Helena, "if can't recognize me, then you're just as disappointing as Gustav!"

"Why does everyone hate me?" moaned Gustav, "why does the universe hate me?"

Stefan ignored Gustav as he stepped closer to Helena, "I know you're not my mother! I know!" from around his neck he pulled out a gold locket and opened it. From the locket appeared a small, 3D hologram of Helena von Karstein, "she gave this to me just before she died. I've had over ten years to memorize every detail of my mother's face! She does not have three moles on her right ear!"

At that Helena's hand shot to her right ear, "oh damn!"

"Who are you?" Heinrich asked as he looked at Elisabeth, "how do you come to look so much like my dearly departed wife!? TELL ME! WHO ARE YOU!?"

At that Helena, Elisabeth, smiled maliciously, displaying her fangs, "you should know, _Father_ , you made me what I am."

"What?" Heinrich asked, "why do you call me 'Father?' All my sons are here and my daughter…I mean, I had a daughter…"

"Oh, you stupid old fool!" snapped Elisabeth with impatient anger, "it's me, you stupid bastard! I am your daughter! I am Elisabeth von Karstein!"

Before any of the Transdorians could gasp in shock, Adriane beat them to the punch by letting out a scream of delight, "IT WORKED!" she shouted with gleeful triumph, "THE STONE MASK WORKED!"

"You mean she's that hobbled, homely girl who pulled the gun on Heinrich earlier?" Harry asked.

"What a change," said a somewhat jealous Uma, "oh the attention I'd get if I had eyes like hers."

"And here I thought I was the stupid one," said Gil, "don't you guys get it? She's a vampire! A fudging vampire!"

"Yes, she is," said Adriane, "the first of a new army of invincible warriors of the night!"

"I don't think she's interested in fighting for you," said Uma.

"Cassandra?" Audrey asked, "is it really you?"

"Yes, JoJo," said Elisabeth, "it's me. I'm sorry I yelled at you and your friends," she looked at Mal, "I really am sorry I was so mean. It was the best plan I could come up with to get you all out of here." She then faced Stefan, "unfortunately, my transformation wasn't as complete as I thought. I forgot Mother gave you the hologram locket."

At that Heinrich angrily spluttered and stammered as he tried to find his voice, finally speaking as his face flushed with rage, "this…this is UNACCEPTABLE! How dare you take your mother's face for your own, Elisabeth! How dare you disgrace yourself and your family in this manner!"

At that Elisabeth laughed with cold irony for a few seconds, before glaring again at Heinrich, "how dare I? How dare you, Father! All my life you treated me like garbage, and you accuse _me_ of disgrace!?"

"Yes, you're a disgrace!" spat Heinrich, "you're a blight, a stain, soiled degradation! The very fact you were born dishonors the family!"

"And so you tried to murder me," said Elisabeth, "as you can see, it didn't work."

"Oh, but it did!" said Adriane as she made her away down the aisle towards Elisabeth, "it was an astounding success! Just look at you! Your physical disabilities are gone! You're far more alluring than the average human female, and do I dare guess at your new levels of power?"

She then looked at Heinrich, "don't you see, Count von Karstein? Your daughter has transcended humanity and is…"

"NO!" exclaimed Heinrich hatefully, "I don't care what you call her, I will never accept this filth, this waste of DNA as my daughter! NEVER!"

"I see," said Elisabeth as her eyes began watering with tears, "you know, I had a sliver of hope that deep down in that twisted horror of your heart, you had one ounce…no, not even an ounce, just a few molecules of love for me. But it seems you're too much of a monster to even acknowledge me as part of your issue."

"He doesn't have to accept you as a daughter!" said Adriane franticly, "Don't you realize what you are?! You've become as close to a living god as humanly possible! You are the first of a new race of invincible super soldiers! You are everything Shadowcast has been working towards! You are a Neo Warrior!"

At that Elisabeth looked at Adriane as if she had just said the most idiotic thing possible. Without warning, Elisabeth backhanded Adriane as if swatting away a fly, yet sending Adriane hurtling towards one of the chapel windows, shattering the stained glass as Adriane shot out of sight.

"Uh…should we go after her?" Gil asked, "you know, see if she's alright?"

"Yeah, we should go," said Uma cautiously, "I got a feeling things are gonna get ugly."

"Oh? And you want to miss any potential fun?" Harry asked.

"Not when it comes to vampires, I don't," said Uma. For reasons she couldn't explain, she felt unnerved by Elisabeth. Was it the fact that she was a vampire? Or was it her drastic change in appearance from the plain, slightly disabled girl into the almost otherworldly beauty at the altar. Whatever the reason, Uma had a feeling she had to get as far away from Elisabeth as possible.

"Let's go," she said to her fellow pirates.

"What, just like that?" Harry asked, "no final quips or clever remarks?"

"And what about Mal?" Gil asked, "no last insult to her?"

"And what about 'Benny-Bo?'" Harry asked.

"I'll insult them later," said Uma, "let's just get out of here before we get bitten or something." With that she grabbed her corsair comrades by the sleeves and dragged them towards the chapel entrance. Unfortunately, there was already a jam at the doorway as several guests were attempting to leave, while several guards were trying to get inside.

Meanwhile, the drama at the altar was reaching new heights as a handful of guards managed to get into position around Elisabeth.

"Perhaps you do have some value, Elisabeth," said Heinrich, "as a scientific asset. You will return to the labs for dissection, analyzed for your physical and supernatural properties. Who knows? Perhaps you'll be remembered for your contributions for my dream of ruling the world."

"And that's supposed to make up for the years of psychological and emotional abuse!?" Elisabeth demanded as more guards showed up to surround her.

At that Heinrich looked quite taken aback, as if Elisabeth's attitude was the most grievous of insults, "it's more than you deserve, you ungrateful freak!"

Elisabeth sighed with grave acceptance, "I see now I'll never win your approval, Father, no matter how misguided my heart wants it." Her face then changed, becoming thinner, more angular, less human and her eyes silted like a reptile. Her nails lengthened and sharpened into talons and her fangs grew larger, "but at least by destroying you, I'll earn your respect! Let me show you how much of a freak I have become! _WRRRYYYYYY!_ "

She furiously rushed at Heinrich, her fangs and claws ready to render her hated father to bloody shreds. Heinrich flinched back in mortal terror, then relaxed as the guards intercepted Elisabeth and forced her back.

Elisabeth let lose a shriek of frustration as she slashed one clawed hand at a guard, scouring four deep slashes across his torso that sent blood spurting across the altar, staining the white wedding gowns of Mal and the others.

"Oh, my God!" moaned a shocked and nauseated Jane as Elisabeth stabbed her claws into another guard's lower torso, tearing out his intestines. Elisabeth then used the trailing guts to strangle another guard. She then kicked another guard with enough force to send him crashing through another stained-glass window, then grabbed another guard and partly tore off one of his arms. All the while Elisabeth was smiling with a mixture of satisfaction and joy, as if she were, at long last venting years of frustration in one bloody mess.

Mal, Evie and Lonnie were just as horrified, but none more than Audrey. To see her friend, short as that friendship was, committing such nightmarish acts of violence, it left a wound on Audrey's heart, one she knew would never fully heal. Others were emotionally affected by Elisabeth's bloody outburst, yet not as deeply as Audrey.

"Look at her go," said an impressed and simultaneously disturbed Jill, "imagine if we had her on our side twenty-five years ago. Shadowcast wouldn't have stood a chance."

"I'm more concerned at the suicidal fanaticism of Heinrich's goombas," said Ben as he watched more and more Transdorians throw themselves at Elisabeth, only for her to dispatch them with extreme, bloody prejudice.

"They're not," said Andrew, "those aren't humans sacrificing themselves for Heinrich."

"He's right, they're Doppelgangers," said Saul, "see how the remains are dissolving?"

"Hey, he's right," said Jay as more and more Doppelgangers launched themselves at Elisabeth and were torn apart.

"Who cares who or what's getting slaughtered?!" Chad asked impatiently, "let's just grab Audrey and the others and make like a banana and split!"

"That's probably the smartest thing I've ever heard you say," Doug remarked, "it's almost frightening in a philosophical manner. But that's not important right now, let's get Jane and the others!"

"Oh No You Don't!" shouted Heinrich as he held up the master remote detonator in his right hand and grasped Mal roughly with his left. At the same time Stefan and his brothers held Evie and the others from escaping.

"Yeesh, I almost forgot about that," said Doug.

"You impudent brats," said Heinrich, "you think my genetic abormation of a daughter will stop me from getting what I want?! Think again! I will marry Lady Mal and beget children with her! I will amass an invincible army that will dominate the world! I WILL HAVE IT ALL!"

He then held out the detonator with his thumb above the second toggle, "and you lot, you can watch me have it all from Hell!"

"No, don't do it!" shouted Mal, "don't kill them, please! I'll…I'll marry you, just don't kill Ben and the others, please!"

"I knew you'd grow to appreciate me," said Heinrich smugly, "but it's too late for the undesirable elements. I'm sorry, my dear, but they've got to go!"

 **CRACK!**

Heinrich cried out as a whip lashed out and struck his wrist, forcing him to drop the detonator and release Mal simultaneously. Shrugging off her surprise, Mal grabbed the detonator, rushed over to Ben and the others and pressed the third toggle, deactivating and unlocking the shotgun collars.

"WHO DARES!?" bellowed Heinrich as he clutched his assaulted wrist.

"I dare," said Laura as she stepped forward with her whip at the ready, "you won't be murdering anyone today, you lunatic!"

"Marie?" Claudette asked, "you would dare betray this household? You would betray Transdoria?"

"I'm not a Transdorian, you friggin idiot!" said Laura, "I had you and everyone else fooled I was a klutzy bimbo who would snog anything with junk between his legs." She then smiled, "not that I didn't mind the snogging. Heck, I wouldn't have minded making a pass as one of the von Karstein boys if they weren't all such vicious idiots."

At that Claudette looked ready to chew metal and spit nails, "are you saying you would have seduced my husband!?"

"Yes, if it would have furthered my mission," said Laura, "I might even have going all the way with him regardless."

"You treacherous little harlot!" snapped Claudette, "I'll have your heart's blood for that!" she then snapped her fingers and a pair of maids rushed in with a privacy screen. Another servant rushed up with an outfit covered by a drycleaner's bag and handed it to Claudette. Within seconds, she had shed her formal gown and donned a fencing outfit. Another servant hurried up with a saber in an elaborately crafted scabbard.

"She's gonna fight?" Evie asked, "but…I thought… Claudette, I thought she…"

"You thought my wife was a weak-willed mouse afraid of disobeying me or my father?" Stefan asked smugly as Claudette drew her saber from the sheath and gave a few experimental slashes with it, "you thought wrong. My father chose Claudette for my wife for a reason; she's the deadliest fencer in all of Transdoria. She didn't compete in the tournament in Auradon because she didn't want to go too far and kill someone accidentally."

"The traitorous bitch might as well dig her own grace," said Karl as Claudette performed a series of warm-up stretches, "my sister-in-law, when she fights, she fights to kill."

"She doesn't play around," said Gustav, "she goes right for the heart."

"Yeah, and it's really boring," said Frederic.

"But she's killed more men in battle than the rest of us put together," said Wilhelm.

"Good God!" said Aurora, "Laura doesn't stand a chance!"

"Hey, don't count her out just yet," said Jill, "Laura, she has more than a few tricks up her sleeves, and she's not even a magician."

"But she's armed with a whip," said Phillip, "she's facing a trained killer armed with a saber!" He glared at Heinrich, "are you truly so mad as to allow this, von Karstein!?"

"How can I deny my daughter-in-law the chance to hone her skills?" Heinrich asked, "besides, it's her honor that's most at stake, for it was Claudette who brought the traitor into the household."

"It's still a senseless slaughter!" said Mulan, "I've faced against killers before! Let me fight Claudette!"

"No, I'll fight her!" said Chad, "Laura was only doing her job, so it's really not her fault she hurt Claudette's feelings. If anyone should fight Claudette, it'll be me! Let me be Laura's champion in this challenge of honor!"

"Okay, I can think of a few things wrong with that," said Laura, "first of all, it is my fault Claudette feels dishonored. Second, I don't need anyone to defend my own honor, especially not some half-brained prince with an unconscious death wish. I'm fully aware how deadly Claudette is. And lastly, I'm not so easy to kill."

"We'll put that to the test," said Claudette coldly as she assumed a fighting stance, "make your peace with whatever deity you worship, you'll need divine intervention!" With that she charged at Laura with near blinding speed. Laura lashed her whip and missed as Claudette ducked to her right, then ran even faster, closing the distance to less than a meter. Mal and the others could only watch in horror as Claudette, her face twisted with vicious glee, thrust her saber at Laura's heart.

But then something grabbed the blade before it pierced Laura's flesh; a ghostly clawed hand covered in fur. Claudette blinked in shock as she tried to push her saber into Laura's heart, yet the clawed hand wouldn't let go.

"I told you I'm not easy to kill," said Laura with a smug smile. She then reached up and swung the handle of her whip down on Claudette's right arm. Claudette managed to pull her saber free of the ghostly hand and avoided the full force of Laura's whip handle, yet the thick, leather handle grazed her forearm hard enough to make her wince and jump back.

"Claudette!" exclaimed Stefan.

"I'm fine," said Claudette as she looked down at the bruise forming on her forearm. She then glared hatefully at Laura, "I don't know what magic you used on me, but it won't work again. I'll still bathe my blade with your heart's blood this night!"

"No, Lady von Karstein," said Laura coldly, "I think not!"

It was then that the ghostly, fur-covered clawed hand extended further from Laura, emerging and fully materializing as a humanoid feline with female attributes and fur that changed colors, shifting from the solid tawny of a lion to the orange and black stripes of a tiger, to the yellow and black spots of a leopard and a cheetah.

"You won't be killing anyone again!" said Laura defiantly as the humanoid feline stood next to her with her claws ready for the attack, "I will take you down! With the Power of my Stand! Cat's Eye Whiplash!"

 **Stand Name: Cat's Eye Whiplash**

 **Stand User: Laura Hurst**

 **Power: B**

 **Speed: A**

 **Range: C**

 **Durability: D**

 **Precision: B**

 **Development: D**

"Her Stand is an animal?" Carlos asked as Claudette, furious at Laura's defiance, lunged at her again, only for Cat's Eye Whiplash to block the deadly saber point again and again. At the same time, Cat's Eye Whiplash struck back with its claws, swiping at Claudette with deadly speed that Claudette barely avoided. Whether or not she could see the feline Stand or merely sense it, was a matter for another time.

"I told you, Stands can take whatever form the subconscious mind wants," said Andrew, "we've got some damsels in distress to save."

"I Am Not A Damsel!" shouted Audrey irately. With that she kicked Wilhelm in the groin, while Lonnie jammed her thumb in Karl's eye. Jane shoved her bouquet of flowers right in Frederic's face, releasing a small cloud of pollen that left him with watering eyes and sneezing uncontrollably.

As for Evie and Stefan, he realized that his first wife was far more important than any girl his father tried to force on him. He threw Evie towards Doug and the others, then rushed at Laura, grabbing a long candle staff and used it as a spear to jab at her. Laura saw Stefan and lashed out with her whip, forcing Stefan to sidestep, before lunging with his makeshift spear. Cat's Eye Whiplash blocked the strike, then stopped a saber slash from Claudette.

It was then that Laura's strategy changed. While she was easily able to counter Claudette, Laura had to go on the defensive as Claudette and Stefan synchronized their attacks.

"Let's help her so we can get out of here," said Jill as Audrey, Evie, Lonnie and Jane joined with Mal and the others. She then let out a yip of fight and ducked a red energy blast that barely missed her, scorching her hair in the process.

"Miserable mutant filth!" snapped Heinrich as he rapidly winded the crank on what could best be described as a laser musket, "I'll teach you waste of human genes to interfere with my plans!"

"My Count, please go easy!" pleaded a Shadowcast technician, "that weapon is still in its prototype phase!"

Heinrich then aimed and fired the laser musket at the technician, whom screamed in agony as his body incinerated and collapsed into a pile of ash.

"No one tells me what to do!" snapped Heinrich as he winded the crank again, "no one!" He then aimed the laser musket at Ben and Mal, "and you two! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! NOW DIE!"

He pulled the trigger, at the same time Chad tripped and fell in front of Ben and Mal. Just before the red laser beam was about to incinerate Chad, it was blocked by a massive, elaborately carved mirror with a polished face so clear it cast a three-dimensional reflection. The beam bounced off the mirror right back at the laser musket and triggering an overload

Heinrich cried out in surprise as he threw the malfunctioning laser musket away. The weapon hit the chapel wall and exploded, knocking down most of our heroes and enemies.

"Well," said Jill as the dust cleared and rubble settled, "that was…something."

"It sure was," said Elisabeth as she walked over and helped Audrey and the others back up. She then saw Heinrich laying stunned on the floor, "if you'll excuse me, I've a monster to destroy."

"No, Cassandra," said Audrey, "enough's enough. Let's just go, please."

At that Elisabeth looked like she was of two minds. On one hand, she saw this as her chance to finish off her father once and for all. On the other, as she saw how tired and strung out Audrey was, she too wanted to call it quits for now. Unfortunately, for Elisabeth, nature would decide for her.

At that instant, the hole in the chapel wall, which faced east, lit up as the sun crested the horizon. Elisabeth cried out in pain and terror as part of her face and arm began smoking and sparking. She fell to the floor in a fetal position as more and more of her skin caught fire

"NO!" shouted Audrey as she rushed over and shielded Elisabeth from the sun. Audrey looked at her friends, "Don't just stand there! Help me! Make something to cover her or something!"

"I got it!" said Evie as she used a sharp piece of rubble to tear the skirt of her outlandish wedding gown, "throw this on her!" she then threw the massive amount of fabric to Audrey, whom draped it over Elisabeth like a cloak.

"You're gonna be fine, Cassandra," said Audrey as she helped Elisabeth stand up, "we're gonna get you out of here!"

"Let's go, Laura!" Andrew shouted to the young feline tamer, whom was still fighting Stefan and Claudette.

"They're deaf to the world," said Jill, "all that matters is their fight. As much as I'd hate to interfere, we really must be going."

"I got it!" said Saul as Soul Train appeared and coasted towards Stefan and Claudette, "All Aboard!"

Soul Train flew around the dueling couple, assaulting their eardrums with distorted psychedelic music and causing them to break off their attack. Laura, seeing her chance, struck back with Cat's Eye Whiplash, striking Claudette and Stefan with its claws and scoring long gashes on their midsections and knocking them down.

"LAURA! WE ARE LEAVING!" shouted Andrew as he grabbed Laura. With that our heroes and allies hurried out of the chapel.

Within seconds, even more guards and Dopplegangers, helping their comrades, joined the remaining guards and doppelgangers and the von Karsteins back up. When a pair of guards attempted to assist Heinrich, he bellowed with rage and tossed them out one of the broken windows.

"I DON'T NEED HELP!" Heinrich roared as he got to his feet under his own power, "I NEED NO ONE!"

"I…beg to differ…Father," said Stefan as several medics worked to staunch his bleeding chest, while more medics assisted Claudette, "we've underestimated the Auradonians, and Elisabeth."

"Is that so?" Heinrich asked as he eyed Stefan, "well then, what would you have me do next? What course of action should we take?"

"Nothing, Father," said Stefan, "simply let them leave. Yes, the most prudent action would be to let them leave."

At that Heinrich rushed over, knocked aside the medics and pulled Stefan up by his hair, "to think that my eldest son was capable of such cowardly stupidity!" he then tossed Stefan down next to Claudette. She hurried over to her husband, but he brushed her aside as he struggled to his feet again.

"Now," said Heinrich coldly to the guards and Doppelgangers, "find them. Find the interlopers, no matter what it takes. I want those girls brought to me alive. Kill the others with them but bring me those five girls, and my daughter, I will kill her myself! I WILL KILL HER!"

* * *

"I'm alright," said Adriane as she dusted herself off, "it'll take more than an angst-filled teenage vampire to kill me."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Uma asked as she, Harry and Gil stood around Adriane, "because I'm pretty sure that angst-filled teenage vampire slapped you halfway through the castle before you stopped."

"In my line of work, you have to be hard to kill," said Adriane, "well? What are we all standing around for? We've an asset to secure. No doubt Heinrich's calling the cavalry to hunt down and destroy Elisabeth. We're going to beat him to the punch."

"We're gonna kill that thing?" Harry asked, "uh-uh, no way. I'm not fighting some blood-sucking maniac."

"Who said anything about fighting Elisabeth?" Adriane asked, "We're gonna save her before her father gets his hands on her again. Don't you realize just how valuable Elisabeth von Karstein is? She's everything Shadowcast has been working for; the ultimate living weapon."

"Technically she's undead," said Gil as he chewed on another Mentant.

"I think you've had enough of those for a while," said Adriane as she took the tin of mint-like cognitive enhancers from Gil, "whatever Elisabeth's biological status, she's far too precious to let Heinrich spitefully destroy."

"Oh no she isn't!" said Dr. Orange as she irately walked up to Adriane.

"Well, look who managed to break away from her work," said Adriane scornfully, "you're here for the wedding? I'm afraid you missed quite the show."

"I heard what happened, Ms. Adriane," said Dr. Orange, "and there's no way you're getting away with it! How dare you go behind my back and introduce another project to Count von Karstein! You know damn well he's accepted my Steel Claw as Transdoria's wonder weapon!"

"I didn't see Heinrich sign the final contracts, Dr. Orange," said Adriane, "Count von Karstein's free to change his mind any time. If he wants to go with an army of vampires over your toy robots, that's his perogrative."

"Toy robots!?" exclaimed Dr. Orange, "Toy Robots!? I ought to tie you up and use you as target practice for Steel Claw Mark II! And as for your bloodsucking freak pet," she then pulled out a plasma pistol, "I've got my lab assistants combing the castle for it. We'll find the freak and liquidate it before Heinrich gets a closer look at how freaky she is." With that she ran off.

"Over my dead body, you metal fetishist!" said Adriane irately. She then looked at Uma, Harry and Gil, "we've got to find Elisabeth and find her fast! Whatever I promised to pay you three, I'll double it! Let's go!" With that she ran off through the castle corridors.

Uma, Harry and Gil hesitated only for a second before running after her.

"Why are we doing this?" Harry asked Uma, "is it for the money? Or just for fun?"

"For the money, duh!" said Uma, "but also for fun. Besides, if we catch Elisabeth, we can also catch Ben, Mal and the others. I can just imagine how horrible they'll feel when we make them watch as Adriane dissects Elisabeth."

"I can just imagine how horrible Elisabeth feels when she's dissected," said Gil.

* * *

"Are you sure you're alright, Cassandra?" said Audrey to Elisabeth as our heroes and allies hurried through the hidden passages, using Elisabeth's directions to make their way to the freight elevator and freedom.

"Well, if you must know, JoJo," said Elisabeth, "I feel terrible, and weak. I need…I need…hang on a second." She stopped and opened a hidden door to the main corridors, "I'll be just a second." With that she slowly crept into the hallway and waited.

"What is she doing?" Jay asked as he and the others watched through viewports.

"I think I know," said Andrew, "And if I'm right, it won't be pleasant."

Elisabeth crouched up against the wall and waited, listening. Her patience was rewarded as two guards hurried around a corner. Elisabeth pounced and knocked their heads together, stunning them and they collapsed to the floor. Elisabeth then impaled one guard through the neck with her clawed fingers and siphoned out his blood.

"Oh my god!" exclaimed a horrified Aurora as she and the others watched Elisabeth drained the guard into a desiccated husk, then did the same with the other guard. She then took a knife from one of her victims and jabbed it into his skull up to the hilt, twisting the knife around for several seconds, before repeating the procedure on the other guard.

"Ahhh…much better," said Elisabeth as she straightened herself up and licked some stray drops of blood from her nails.

"You…you just killed those men," said Aurora.

"Flip that!" said Mulan, "she wiped out how many of Heinrich's goons in the chapel?"

"But she didn't suck out their blood just now," said Aurora, "then mutilate them afterwards."

"I didn't want them reanimating," said Elisabeth, "the world doesn't need more monsters than necessary."

"Yes, well," said Aurora, "I'm glad you're so considering of the world, but if you don't mind being even more considerate, just stay away from me and my family, okay?"

"No, mom," said Audrey defiantly as she stood next to Elisabeth, "it's alright, Cassandra's not that kind of monster. Sure, she was turned into a blood-sucking freak against her will, but that's Heinrich's fault, the real monster here." She then held Elisabeth's hand, "I trust Cassandra with my life. If you and dad, and grandmamma for that manner, have a problem with it, too bad."

"No, your mother's right, JoJo," said Elisabeth as he released her hand from Audrey's, "You shouldn't trust me so much. I don't even fully trust myself. I've done…questionable things…recently."

"'Questionable things?'" Carlos asked, "you're a mother-flipping vampire!"

"I mean I have questions about what I am now," said Elisabeth sternly, "I don't know my own body anymore. Can I still eat food or is blood the only sustenance I need? How long can I go between feeding on blood? Can I substitute animal blood for human? What are the limits on my abilities? Everything about me is new; my body, my instincts, even my thoughts are new. I don't know what I really am anymore." She pointed at her heart, "not here that is."

"You're my friend, that's all that matters," said Audrey as she took Elisabeth's hands again, "whatever questions you have about yourself, we'll figure it out together."

"Yeah, well, she's better behave," said Chad, "because if she tries to hurt you, Audrey, she'll have to go through me first!"

"Yeah, about that," said Audrey as she walked over to Chad, "since when have you been able to summon a magic shield?"

"You saw it?" Andrew asked, "you saw his Stand?"

"As if anyone could miss that gaudy thing," said Evie, while Jane and Lonnie nodded in agreement.

"They must all be either potential Stand Users or capable of Hamon," said Jill.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Audrey, "but that mirror thing, it was cool, really cool," she then hugged Chad adoringly, "I mean really, really cool," at that Chad smiled smugly.

"Well, I'm glad they're back together," said Evie sarcastically, "but seriously, what was with that gaudy mirror? I mean, everyone knows I appreciate a mirror, especially one that shows just how fantastic I look, but what's with Chad's mirror thingy? And why did it look so…so…"

"Narcissistic?" Saul suggested as he wrote down something, "and that's a good name for it; Narcissus' Mirror. And considering we've seen it in action a few times, I've come up with some preliminary statistics for it."

 **Stand Name: Narcissus' Mirror**

 **Stand User: Chad**

 **Power: C**

 **Speed: D**

 **Range: D**

 **Durability: B**

 **Precision: C**

 **Development: B**

"Cool," said Chad, "hey, wait a second, how come my stats are lower than yours and Andrew's?"

"Because we've had time to work on our Stands, duh!" said Saul.

It was then that Elisabeth hissed for everyone to be quiet. She listened out one of the viewports, "more foot traffic in the castle. My father called for reinforcements."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Laura asked, "let's get out of here before…" that's as far as she got before swaying and passing out.

"She's alright," said Saul as he caught Laura before she fell to the floor, "we should have seen it coming. Her Stand is quite powerful but puts tremendous demands on her stamina. We'd best find a place where she can lie down for a moment."

Elisabeth took our heroes through the passage to a parlor with two doors leading off to different areas of the palace and a western-facing balcony.

"My mother used to bring me here to watch the last rays of sunset and the colors of twilight," said Elisabeth as Saul and Jill helped Laura onto a chase lounge. She looked out the windows and French doors at the brightening sky and vista, "well, one thing about being a vampire, I'm no better off in the sun than I was before."

"At least…you've still…got your strength," said an exhausted Laura weakly.

"You know you're not supposed to push yourself so far, Laura," said Jill, "too far and you could kill yourself."

"It was worth the risk," said Laura, "to make that horrid bitch Claudette bleed."

Just then Mal and Ben, whom had been keeping watch out one of the doors, ran into the parlor and locked the door behind them, "Bad news," said Mal, "Uma, Harry, Gil and their new friend, they're coming this way."

"And they've got company," said Ben, "like a dozen or so Shadowcast goons."

"So's that crazy scientist who built that giant robot!" said Evie ass he and Doug, whom had been keeping watch out the other door, hurried in and locked that door too.

"She's got a dozen of her own Shadowcast goons," said Doug.

"That way leads to the freight elevator," said Laura as she pointed to the door Mal and Ben locked, then pointed at Evie and Doug's door, "And that way leads to the VTOL pad. If we try and fight our way through either way, they'll just call in more and more mooks and we'll be overwhelmed."

"Bring them on!" said Chad, "it's better than doing nothing."

"No, I've got a better idea," said Elisabeth, "the secret passages, I know an exit that's right on the VTOL pad. We'll sneak out, overpower the guards there and steal a VTOL craft."

"And blow up the other craft so they can't follow us," said Andrew, "works for me."

"Oh, you're just itching to use that grenade in your pocket," said Jill.

"Well, I'd take my hand off my pocket if someone would give back the pin," said Andrew.

"Uh…I think I lost it," said Mulan sheepishly.

"Never mind," said Andrew, "I'll use it when we get to the VTOL pad."

Just then Ben and Mal's door shook as someone tried to open it from the other side.

"They're in there!" shouted Uma, "I just know it!"

And then the other door shook.

"She's in there!" shouted Dr. Orange, "the freak! Get the door open! We must destroy the undead abomination!"

"Okay, we're going through the secret passages now," said Elisabeth, "just follow me and we'll be at the VTOL pad in no time. I just need something to cover my skin once we're out in the sunlight."

"No problem," said Evie as she helped the girls rip the skirts on their wedding gowns, "I can make a cloak on the way."

"Alright then," said Elisabeth as she stood at the entrance to the secret passages, "just follow the leader. One…two…three!"

She throwed the door open and saw her father, brothers and a slew of guards on the other side. Instantly, Elisabeth slammed the door shut and braced it with her back, "we may be trapped," she said to the others.

Our heroes then heard banging noises from both doors. "They're breaking through!" shouted Ben as he, Mal, Jay and Lonnie grabbed whatever they could find to brace one of the doors, while Evie, Doug, Jane and Carlos braced the other.

"The Balcony," said Laura as she tried to get up, "we can climb down to the next level and get out from there!"

With that our heroes hurried out onto the balcony and were about to climb over the railing, when three VTOL craft appeared with weapons locked and loaded at them.

"Oh, damn it!" said Jill, " _now_ we're trapped!"

"It's not over," said Ben, "there's got to be something we can do, something…"

Just then both doors and the secret passage crashed open, followed by a brief scuffle as the three groups of pursuers ran into each other. Shortly afterwards, Heinrich, his sons, Adriane, Uma and her crew, Dr. Orange and her followers, shoved their way through the balcony doorway and faced off with our heroes.

"Well, well, well," said Heinrich with oozing smugness, "caught between a rock and a hard place, aren't we? Just hand over my bride and my son's brides and the rest of you can die with the ease of a bullet to the brain."

"I'm afraid I can't allow that, Count von Karstein," said Adriane, "you can do whatever you want with King Ben, Lady Mal and the others, but I need your daughter alive; she's far too valuable to simply execute."

"Belay that request, Count von Karstein!" exclaimed Dr. Orange, "your daughter is a danger to my work! And so is Princess Evie and her female friends! They must die post haste!"

"Excuse me?" Mal asked, "what'd my friends do to tick you off?"

"She's Edwina Xandrand," said Jane, "creator of Metal Gear."

"No, it's impossible!" said Aurora, "Edwina Xandrand died of her wounds after The Technocrat Revolt."

"Reports of my demise were highly exaggerated," said Dr. Orange, "I arose from the brink of death to bring about a new technological revolution!

"Oh, so you're the one who sent that NM-E knockoff against us in the forest," said Andrew, "not a bad mecha, but it could be improved."

"I intend to," said Dr. Orange, "after certain rogue elements are eliminated. The undead brat threatens the development of Steel Claw, while Lady Jane and her friends, they know my secret identity. And now that the rest of you know…you'll have to die as well."

"Just a moment, Dr. Orange," said Dr. Lime as he walked out onto the balcony, "let's not be too hasty on who lives and who dies. Some of these fine ladies and gentlemen have great potential as Shadowcast assets. Those three," he pointed at Andrew, Jill and Saul, "are quite familiar with our scientific efforts in the past. I'm curious to see how their powers have grown in the intervening years."

"You can experiment on them all you want," said Adriane, "but Elisabeth is mine! It was my Stone Mask that created her."

"And my Father put the mask on her," said Stefan, "she's too great a threat to the family." He looked at Elisabeth, "I'm sorry, but you must understand, the good of the family comes first!"

"Which is why we'll resume the wedding ceremonies at once," said Heinrich, "after the pup and his fellows are euthanized for their own good."

"Your bride is too great a threat to let live, my Count!" said Dr. Orange, "Lady Mal and her companions know my secret! They cannot be allowed even the smallest chance to escape and inform Auradon of my survival! They all must die!"

"Uh…we're just here to make money," said Uma, while Harry and Gil nodded in agreement, "but we're with Adriane. I do hope Mal and Ben suffer, but we really need Elisabeth unharmed."

"NO!" bellowed Heinrich, "THE TRATIOROUS BITCH MUST DIE!"

"THEY ALL MUST DIE!" shouted Dr. Orange.

"ELISABETH MUST LIVE!" shouted Adriane, and with that she. Heinrich and Dr. Orange started shouting at each other, with Dr. Lime and Stefan occasionally shouting a word or two for argument's sake."

"Yeah, y'all just fight among yourselves," said Saul, "it'll give us a chance to figure a way out of this mess."

"I don't see how," said Mulan, "not with those war machines in the sky aiming deadly lead down on us."

"Oh, come on, Mom," said Lonnie, "where's the spirit and courage you displayed when you donned grandfather's armor, joined the army, beat Shan Yu and fell in love with dad? We can still beat them!"

"How?" Jane asked, "if we try to fight our way through those jerks there," she pointed at the arguing villains, "then those jerks in the VTOL's will blow us away."

"And if we somehow destroy all three of the VTOL's," said Carlos, "then the jerks will attack us from behind. I'm sorry, but I honestly don't see a way out of this."

"Me neither," said Jay, while Ben, Mal and the others shook their heads.

"Then…is this it?" Lonnie asked, "are we going to…"

"Not without a fight," said Mulan defiantly, "If Heinrich still wants you for one of his sons, he'll have to go through me first. I only hope I can take the sanctimonious bastard down with me."

Just then Laura let out a small cry of delight as she read a message on her phone.

"Whatever social media nonsense you're into right now, Laura," said Jill, "save it until we're in the afterlife."

"No, look!" said Laura as she showed the message to Andrew, Jill and Saul.

"Okay, that's that," said Jill, "but how does that help us?"

"Like this," said Andrew as he took Laura's phone and rapidly typed out a response.

"You've got a plan going, don't you?" said Saul.

"Yes," said Andrew as he sent the message, then smiled at the reply he got, "and it might just work," he looked at Ben, Mal and the others, "but I need you all to trust me on this. You do trust me, right?"

"Always," said Jill, "sometimes less so than others, but now, completely."

"We've always got your back, Andrew," said Saul, while Laura gave Andrew the thumbs up.

"Good to know," said Andrew. He then looked at Ben and Mal, "you two, you trust me?"

"Do we have a choice?" Ben asked.

"Do you lot trust me?" Andrew asked Evie, Doug and the others.

"I don't know," said Phillip, "but I have faith you won't let my daughter fall into Heinrich's foul hands again."

"I just met you, but I'm willing to take the risk," said Elisabeth, "anything to get away from my father."

"We all have faith, Andrew," said Mal, while the rest of our heroes nodded in agreement.

"Good," said Andrew as he carefully took the grenade out of his pocket, "because I'm about to do something incredibly stupid and reckless. When I do, I want you all to jump."

"Jump?" Aurora asked.

"Yes, jump," said Andrew, "over the balcony edge."

"Why…that's…that suicide!" said Aurora.

"Come on, highness," said Andrew, "where's the reward without a little risk! Think of it as a leap of faith!"

"ENOUGH!" roared Heinrich, silencing the other arguing villains, "this is my house and what I say in my house is law! Now, bring me my bride and my son's brides!"

"I'm afraid I can't let that happen, Heinrich," said Andrew as he stepped forward with the grenade held behind his back, "my friends and I, we've had just about enough of your hospitality, so if you don't mind, we'll take our leave."

At that Heinrich laughed cruelly, with Stefan and his brothers laughing along, as well as the guards.

"What?" Andrew asked, "did I make a joke or something? Or is this sarcasm? I sometimes fail to pick up on sarcasm."

"You actually believe you can leave my house," said Heinrich, "you truly believe you can take my bride and my son's brides? After all the trouble you've cause, you expect to just waltz out without paying the consequences? I think not!"

"You're trapped!" shouted Karl, "there's no way any of you are getting away!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," said Adriane, "this is Andrew Carpenter; the man with the plan. He's got something going on, I can smell it."

"Oh minotaur crap!" said Wilhelm, "he's just making noise! They're trapped and there's nothing they can do about it."

"Come, Brothers," said Frederic, "let's get our brides back."

"You can have your bride after I'm done with her," said Gustav irately, "yeah, I'm talking about you, Jane! I'm so gonna make you suffer for what you did to my junk!"

At that Jane gulped nervously and hid behind Carlos, whom lovingly gripped her uninjured hand and shielded her from Gustav's wrathful gaze.

"It's alright," said a reassuring Andrew, "they won't hurt you or anyone else here."

"And why's that?" Heirnich asked.

"Because you and your cohorts have made a very big mistake," said Andrew as he smiled confidently. He then whispered to Ben and Mal, "on my signal, jump."

"What signal?" Mal asked.

"You won't miss it," said Andrew.

"He's got something behind his back!" said Uma, "What's that he's go behind his back?!"

"It's Nothing!" shouted Heinrich, "nothing of consequence anyway! And he's the one who's made the mistake, for I don't make mistakes!"

"Oh, but you did," said Andrew as his expression grew deadly serious, "a great, big mistake, the worst mistake you could possibly make. Didn't anyone tell you the one thing you should never put in a trap? Because if you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, then there's one thing you never, ever put in a trap!"

"Oh yeah?" Heinrich asked, "what's that?"

Andrew then took his hand out from behind his back, while at the same time Big Bang Theory appeared on his shoulder. "My friends!" he said.

With that the howitzer-like Stand fired at the middle VTOL craft, while Andrew threw the grenade right at Heinrich, the striker lever coming off as it flew towards the demented noble.

As Heinrich and his sons backed away from the grenade in terror, the middle VTOL exploded, forcing the flanking two to back away from the flying debris.

"JUMP!" Andrew shouted as he ran for the balcony edge. Mal and the others followed and they all jumped off, just as the grenade exploded.

 _ **…to be continued.**_


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Didn't anyone tell you the one thing you should never put in a trap? Because if you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, then there's one thing you never, ever put in a trap!"

"Oh yeah?" Heinrich asked, "what's that?"

Andrew then took his hand out from behind his back, while at the same time Big Bang Theory appeared on his shoulder. "My friends!" he said.

With that the howitzer-like Stand fired at the middle VTOL craft, while Andrew threw the grenade right at Heinrich, the striker lever coming off as it flew towards the demented noble.

As Heinrich and his sons backed away from the grenade in terror, the middle VTOL exploded, forcing the flanking two to back away from the flying debris.

"JUMP!" Andrew shouted as he ran for the balcony edge. Mal and the others followed and they all jumped off, just as the grenade exploded.

Mal and the others expected a hard landing on the next level of the castle, yet before they landed on the lower balcony, an incredible gust of wind caught her and the others. With near-hurricane force, the wind carried them aloft and away from the castle.

"OMG!" exclaimed Jane as our heroes and allies soared westward, "WE'RE FLYING!"

"No, we're falling with style!" said Carlos.

"Technically we're gliding," said Doug.

"Who cares what we're doing?" Elisabeth asked as she wrapped her makeshift cloak tighter around her body, shielding herself from the sun, "we're free! _I'm_ free!"

"Yes, but to what end?" Phillip asked. He looked at Andrew, "I sincerely hope this was part of your plan!"

"More or less," said Andrew, "I kind of make these things up as I go along. But don't worry, we're in good hands!"

"I hope so," said Mulan, "because if we end up falling to our deaths, after all the trials and tribulations we've been through, I'm seeking you out in the next life and putting a dagger in your back!"

"You'll have to go through me first!" said Jill. She then glared at Andrew, "but seriously, if we die because of this, I'm making your next life pretty miserable!"

* * *

 **…The Falcon's Nest…**

"Okay, now I'm a believer in divine intervention," said Dr. Lime as he and the others on the balcony picked themselves up, "that grenade should have killed at least some of us."

"No, we just happened to have a bunch of Doppelgangers who threw themselves over us before it exploded," said Stefan. He then turned to Heinrich, "are you alright, Father?"

"No, I'm not alright," said Heinrich, "I'm about as far from alright as one can be!" He walked over to the balcony edge, "how dare they!? HOW DARE THEY ESCAPE!?"

"We'll find them, Count von Karstein!" said Dr. Lime hastily, "we'll find and bring them back for you to dispense justice at your leisure!"

"NO!" shouted Dr. Orange, "they must all be killed! No one from Auradon must know my secret! My Count, let me use one of my earlier mecha prototypes! I have just the war machine that, while not as elegant and efficient as Steel Claw, is just as deadly!"

"At least spare Elisabeth!" said Adriane as she, Uma, Harry and Gil dusted themselves off, "she's far too valuable to outright murder!"

"Oh for crying out loud, must we do this all over again?" an annoyed Dr. Lime asked, "we're all just going around in circles with this senseless arguing! At least let's find out where the fugitives are going before we decide what to do."

"We know where they're going," said Stefan, "Back to Auradon, but they'll never make it."

"How do you know that?" Uma asked.

"Because unknown to Princess Evie and her friends," said Stefan, "they have tracking devices implanted on them when they were first brought here."

"Are these devices similar to the anti-magic chip implanted in Lady Jane?" Adriane asked, "because I seem to remember that not working so well."

"You're damn right it didn't work!" said a miserably irate Gustav, "my junk is still a piece of pasta!"

"Well, Stefan?" Heinrich asked.

At that Stefan signaled to a guard, whom handed him a tablet, "let's see…uh…one of the implants is working, I can't tell on which girl, but they're heading in the general direction of Lake Vokaska."

"That's a big lake," said Karl, "we used to go fishing there when we were little."

"Didn't we hear an old wives' tale about an underground river between Lake Vokaska and the ocean?" Wilhelm asked.

"That must be their escape route," said Dr. Lime.

"Then let's stop them before they get too far away!" said Adriane, "I want that vampire girl for testing!"

"And I want my bride and my son's brides," said Heinrich, "do whatever you want with the others, but I want Lady Mal and the other girls brought back and I want them here five minutes ago!" with that he left the area with Wilhelm, Frederic, Karl and Gustav in tow.

"Well, you heard my father," said Stefan, "he wants the girls and you can do as you like to the others."

"I want them all dead before they can tell anyone my secret!" said Dr. Orange. At that she, Dr. Lime and Adriane began shouting at each other.

"This is so stupid," said Uma, "why not just compromise?"

At that the arguing villains stopped and looked at Uma, "Compromise?" Dr. Lime asked.

"Yeah, you know, give and take a little," said Uma, "you know, like civilized adults? Or do I have to decide for you?"

"If the young pirate can sound more reasonable, then what does that say about us, I ask?" Dr. Lime remarked.

"Then let us agree to bring Elisabeth, Lady Mal and the other runaway brides back alive and kill the others," said Adriane, "that way everyone is happy."

"I won't be happy until they're all dead!" Dr. Orange shouted, "no one must know my true identity!"

"Uh…we kinda know," said Gil.

"You don't matter," said Dr. Orange, "you're an enemy of Auradon! It's that little fairy godmother with the repressed powers, the daughter of Fairy Godmother, she and her friends, they'll tell everyone in Auradon that I'm still alive!" With that she walked away.

"Where are you going?" Dr. Lime asked.

"To fulfill Count von Karstein's wishes," said Dr. Orange, "I'm going to bring the fugitives back, but if they happen to die resisting capture, then it's hardly my fault, now is it?"

"She's gonna kill Mal, Ben and the others on purpose," said Harry to Adriane and Dr. Lime, "you know that?"

"Indeed," said Dr. Lime, "so, it's to be a race, then; whoever gets to the fugitives first wins." With that he hurried off the ruined balcony.

"Why aren't you running?" Uma asked Adriane.

"Because I know whatever they're planning will fail," said Adriane, "unlike Dr. Lime and Dr. Orange, I have more than one iron in the fire at the same time. Even if Mal and her friends escape back to Auradon, they won't be there for long." She then saw the inquisitive look on Uma's face, "what, did you think you and your crew were the only assets I have in Auradon?"

"Well…yeah, I did," said Uma.

"Don't feel so bad," said Adriane, "remember, irons in the fire. Speaking of which, I still need to get The Stone Mask back from Count von Karstein, just in case that degenerate Orange manages to wipe out Elisabeth with whatever metal lunacy she's put together." With that she walked back inside.

"Uh, are we still getting paid?" Gil asks.

"Oh, eat some more pills, pill-head!" said an annoyed Uma.

* * *

A short time later our heroes landed near the lakeshore and were met by a tall, lean and well-muscled man in his late 20's that Andrew greeted with a hearty handshake and warm embrace.

"Everyone," said Andrew, "meet our savior; Cal Johnson, Acrobat and Stand User."

"And a really great snogger," said Laura as she walked up to, grabbed and pulled Cal Johnson down into a kiss.

"And he has impeccable timing," said Jill as she and Saul shook Cal's hand and hugged him, while Laura kissed him again, "how did you know when to use Flying Nún like that?"

"Let the poor man speak, for crying out loud," said Phillip.

"Yeah, let him speak for himself," said Mulan.

"Thank you," said Cal politely, "as to Jill's question," he held up a pair of high-powered binoculars, "I saw you all were out on the castle balcony and were in dire need of help."

"Yeah, it was kind of a sticky situation," said Jay.

"But how did you know we were there in the first place?" Jill asked, "wait, who's with you?"

"Kaylee and Leon," said Cal, "they're keeping some new friends company, and you can thank Katina for sensing your dire need. Now, any more questions before we get out of here?"

"Yeah, how'd you do whatever it was you did with that wind?" Chad asked, "are you really a Stand User? Because I'm kinda one now and…"

"You're a Stand User?" Cal asked, "well, welcome to the club!" with that a ghostly humanoid bird resembling the mythological Garuda demigod, appeared next to him.

 **Stand Name: Flying Nún**

 **User: Cal Johnson**

 **Power: C**

 **Speed: A**

 **Range: A**

 **Durability: D**

 **Precision: B**

 **Development: E**

Spreading its wings, the Garuda-like Stand, Flying Nún, flapped and sent a near hurricane-force gust at our heroes, nearly knocking them down.

"He can control the wind to some extent," said Andrew.

"More like command it," said Laura, "which explains how he and his fellow acrobats can do such incredible stunts in the Big Top."

"I showed you mine," said Cal smugly to Chad, while the Garuda-like Stand, Flying Nún, stood with crossed wings and equally smug look on its birdman face, "now show me yours."

"Uh…well…" said a somewhat nervous Chad.

"Well? Go on, Chad," said Carlos, "Show him your Stand."

"Uh…okay, I will," said Chad in a hesitant tone, "uh…give me a second…uh…"

"Well, Chad?" Jay asked in a sarcastically impatient tone, while Audrey and the others looked on with equal sardonic irritation.

Sweat began to drip from Chad's brow as eyes darted around apprehensively. Fearful of embarrassing himself in front of his friends, ex-girlfriend and the others, Chad did the only thing he could think of; shut his eyes, gritted his teeth and cried out in frustration as his face flushed, until he passed out from his futile efforts.

"I don't know whether to feel sorry for the poor bloke or doodle on his face," said Jill as Audrey and the others tried to revive Chad.

"He's just perturbed," said Cal, "we all were when we couldn't use our Stands at will."

"So you do believe him that he's got a Stand?" Jay asked.

"Oh, certainly," said Cal, "I sensed it the moment he got close enough for me to do so. I wager his Stand comes out whenever he's in danger, acting on instinct. Chad's barely begun to realize his power, and believe me, it's a long road ahead for him."

"Well, that's just great, can we go now?" Ben asked impatiently, "before Heinrich sends more of his minions after us?"

"He's right," said Andrew, "any minute now the sky will be full of VTOL craft ready to bomb us back to the stone age. I don't know about the rest of you…" at that Big Bang Theory appeared on his shoulder, yet the howitzer-like Stand seemed much smaller than before, "but I'm mentally exhausted."

"Us too," said Saul as Soul Train, appearing smaller and slower than before, circled around him, while Cat's Eye Whiplash, again seeming smaller, appeared beside Laura.

"So, a Stands' power is connected to the User's physical and mental stamina," said Doug, "interesting."

"You can impress us with your analytical skills later, Douglas," said Aurora, "we need to leave, now."

"Mr. Johnson, I sincerely hope you have a mode of transportation we can use," said Phillip.

"Yeah, how did you get here, Cal?" Andrew asked.

"I drove with Kaylee and Leon," said Cal, "we took one of the company campers."

"You mean an RV?" Lonnie asked, "no way all of us can fit into one of those."

"She's right," said Mulan, "Shang and I took Lonnie camping in one of those a while back and even the big one we got was cramped. Of course, we were out in the woods for a week and after that we were all ready to go home and never go camping again."

"Whatever it takes to get back to Auradon," said Carlos as he and Jay helped a slowly reviving Chad stand up. "Some of us can ride on the roof if we have to."

"I volunteer Chad," said Jay.

"Huh?" a dazed Chad asked, "I'm volunteering for what?"

"It doesn't matter," said Cal, "the camper's busted."

"What do you mean 'busted?'" Andrew asked.

"It's busted," said Cal, "we hit a really nasty bump in the road and cracked both axels. We had to abandon it in the woods and walked the rest of the way."

"Oh great, now we'll never get out of here!" said an exasperated Jay.

"You abandoned one of the company's campers in the middle of nowhere?!" an irate Andrew asked, "I sincerely hope it was yours you broke and abandoned."

"And I sincerely hope you can get to Patricia before Ashley finds out," said Jill, "you know how much of a penny-pincher Ashley is. When she finds out you lost the company a $100,000 vehicle, and all the equipment that went with it, she'll explode, and take you with her."

"Assuming Patricia doesn't kill you for losing all that equipment," said Saul, "weapons, computers and all the data on them."

"Whoa! Take it easy," said Cal as he held out his hands placatingly, "the camper's insured, trust me. And we took all the gear we could carry and destroyed the rest. I can honestly say, on the honor of my parent's graves, nothing of value will fall into enemy hands. And I've already got ourselves another way out."

"And what is that, pray tell?" Aurora asked, "and please let it be safe, I just can't take any more surprises tonight."

"It's morning, mom," said Audrey. She then looked at Elisabeth, "are you alright? The sun's getting higher."

"I'm okay," said an undeniably uncomfortable Elisabeth beneath her makeshift cloak, "don't worry about me, JoJo."

"Oh, you haven't seen me worried, Cassandra," said Audrey as she gave her friend a reassuring smile. She then glared at Cal, "whatever car or truck or wagon or whatever you found, it'd better keep my friend out of the sun!"

"Oh, we'll all be out of the sun soon enough," said Cal, "come on, I'll show you."

"Are you sure he can be trusted?" Ben asked Andrew as they, Mal and the others followed Cal.

"He's a goofball sometimes, but I trust him with my life," said Jill, "most of the time."

It wasn't long before our heroes and allies reached the lake shore and found…

"Nothing," said Carlos, "there's nothing here."

"I could have sworn this is where Kaylee and Leon said they'd be," said Cal.

"Wait!" said Saul as he held up his fist for everyone to be quiet, "I hear…a mouth harp."

"A mouth harp?" a skeptical Mal asked.

The wind suddenly shifted and everyone faintly heard the distinct sound of a mouth harp.

"Who's playing a mouth harp all the way out here?" Evie asked.

"I think I know," said an irate Andrew, "and if I'm right, then someone's found someone to goof off with!"

Andrew and the others followed the sound of the mouth harp and found a campsite where Sammy Smee, Claudine, Anthony, and Clay were sitting around a fire, looking eagerly on as Ginny played a card game with a woman in her mid-20's with dark blond hair and gray eyes. Off to one side sat a man in his early 40's with salt and pepper hair and bluish gray eyes, playing the mentioned mouth harp. Off to another side, an impatient Harriet leaned next to a tree, cleaning one of her pipe guns.

"You guys!" said a shocked Mal as she, Jay, Evie and Carlos recognized their fellow VK's from The Isle.

"Mal!?" exclaimed Harriet as she and her crew, sans Ginny, looked and saw our heroes, "Blistering Blue Barnacles! What in the name of Davy Jones' shaving kit are you doing here?!"

"We could ask you the same thing," said Jay, "how did you get off The Isle of The Lost?"

"It's a long story," said Anthony, "how'd you guys wind up in Transdoria?"

"That's a long story too," said Evie, "and one I hope to forget. Wait, how did you get here?" she then looked at Cal, "and are they the escape plan?"

"Pretty much," said Cal.

"We were sort of captured," said Claudine, "but then we came to an understanding."

"At gunpoint, I may add," said an annoyed Sammy Smee, "they took us completely by surprise, and with automatic rifles, I might add as well."

"It's alright, Mr. Smee," said Harriet, "we do have a common enemy," she walked up to Mal, "I take it you've run afoul of Count von Karstein and his alliance with Shadowcast?"

"That's the understatement of the decade," said Mal, "what's your beef with Heinrich?"

"Nothing personally," said Harriet, "but he's guilty by association with Shadowcast. They have something that belongs to me, and I aim to have it back, and if I have to murder Uma, Gil and my scumdog of a brother, all the better."

"What'd Uma and her mooks do to you?" Carlos asked.

"They're the ones who robbed the Captain!" said Sammy Smee, "they took the Captain's Stone Mask!"

"The Stone Mask!?" exclaimed Elisabeth as she pushed her way forward, "what do you know about The Stone Mask?"

"Only that it's made from stone," said Harriet as she looked at Elisabeth with suspicious eyes, "what's it to you?"

"Only that my father used it to try and murder me, that's what!" said Elisabeth.

"So it does have some sort of power," said Owen as he appeared from behind a tree, startling our heroes, "all the more reason to recover it."

"PRINCESS EVIE!" bellowed Geoffrey as he nearly ran over Claudine and the other pirates. Geoffrey skidded to a halt in front of Evie and knelt as he took her hand, "oh, fairest of them all! I knew this day would come when I would be by your side to pledge my everlasting loyalty!"

"Is this someone I should know?" Doug asked the highly embarrassed Evie.

"Uh…well…" said Evie, "his uncle worked for my mom…so, we kinda knew each other when we were kids." She then frowned in annoyed frustration, "and what's with that mouth harp?! It's getting on my nerves!"

"It's Leon," said Andrew, "Leon Smyth-Falcon, another Joy Division acrobat, and one of the most annoying people on the planet! Will you stop it with that damn mouth harp, Leon!"

At that the man with the mouth harp, Leon, stood up and looked at Andrew, "oh, hey there," he said in a creole accent, "what brings you all to this neck of the woods?"

"Why'd you stop, Leon?" the woman playing cards with Ginny asked as she stood up, "I was winning!"

"Are you kidding!" said Ginny as she got up, "I was winning, now that I finally got the hang of this game." She then saw our heroes, "oh, hi, Mal."

"What game?" Mal asked.

"The most horrid of horrors," said Harriet, "the most deplorable of depredations! The absolute worst thing to ever spawn from the mind of man!"

"Hey!" exclaimed Kaylee irately as she gathered up her cards, "don't you dare say that about Triple Triad! It's the best game ever!"

"Then why does your boy toy there have to play that accursed instrument!?" Harriet asked.

"What, this?" Leon asked as he held out the mouth harp, "it helps her concentrate for some reason. And I kinda like it," with that he played a few notes on the mouth harp.

Harriet shuddered in revulsion, "three hours. I've sat here for three hours listening to that vile music while your girlfriend corrupted my Helmsperson with that disgraceful excuse for a card game!"

"Stop hating on Triple Triad!" snapped Kaylee, "it's a great game!"

"Yeah, you really should give it a chance, Skipper," said Ginny, "it's really fun. And it could be worse."

"Oh yeah!?" Harriet demanded, "how? How could it possibly be worse?! Tell me! Enlighten your commanding officer as to how this miserable game could be worse!"

"We could be playing it on motorcycles," said Kaylee.

"Oh, yeah," said a somewhat deflated Harriet, "that definitely would make it worse."

At that Andrew let out an annoyed grunt, "look, you can obsess about your cards later! We've got to go!"

"Oh come on, Andrew," said Kaylee, "one more hand, please?"

Just then our heroes and allies heard approaching VTOL craft in the distance.

"No, Kaylee," said Jill, "it's time to go."

"Couldn't agree more," said Harriet. She then frowned slightly, "but then, what about my Stone Mask?"

"We'll come back for it later, Captain," said Sammy Smee, "we really must be going."

"Yes, yes, another time, Mr. Smee," said Harriet.

With that Harriet showed Mal and the others to the edge of the lake, "that's our way out!" said Cal as he pointed to where The Gray Phantom lay waiting.

"That's a submarine," said Carlos.

"Yes, it is," said Harriet, "and it's _my_ submarine."

"Yours?" Evie asked.

"Well, since I helped build it and I am her captain," said Harriet, "then yes, The Gray Phantom is mine."

"You built a submarine?" a dumbfounded Mal asked, "while still on The Isle? How'd you…"

"Recycled Auradonian garbage and a lot of hard work," said Harriet impatiently as she showed our heroes to the sub's launch, "now do you mind, Mal? There's a lot of people to ferry aboard before we can cast off."

"She actually built a sub out of recycled junk?" Jay asked, "and it works?"

"Apparently so," said Ben, "and when we get back home, I'm gonna seriously reconsider Auradon's waste management policy."

A short time later found our heroes and allies aboard The Gray Phantom. Mal and her friends all marveled at the interior and were amazed so many of their fellow Islanders were in the crew.

"Yes, this has been a rather rambunctious reunion," said Harriet once everyone was aboard and escorted to the sub's common area. She then pulled out her pipe pistol and aimed it at Mal, while Sammy Smee and the other young pirates pulled out their weapons and aimed them at the rest of our heroes. With no choice to the matter, Mal and the others raised their hands in surrender.

"Are you friggin kidding me?!" exclaimed Cal as he found two pipe rifle barrels in his face, "I thought we had an understanding, Harriet!"

"That's Captain Harriet Hook to you, buster!" said Sammy Smee as he tried to point his pistol in Cal's face, yet he could only poke Cal in the upper chest.

"Mr. Smee is right," said Harriet, "while aboard my ship you will address me according to my rank and title. As to our understanding, Mr. Johnson, you made your side of the bargain while aiming three automatic rifles at me. It's only fair I make my counterargument on equal terms."

Harriet then looked at Ben, "King Benjamin, son of King Beast and Queen Belle, as you've already surmised, I am Captain Harriet Hook of The Gray Phantom," she indicated Sammy Smee and the other young pirates, "and this is my crew."

"Hello!" said Claudine eagerly, while Anthony and Clay waved with their free hands.

"Charmed," said Ben dryly.

"What do you want, Harriet?" Mal asked irately, "because if you think you can ransom us back home for money, forget about it!"

"What do I want, Mal?" Harriet asked, "what I want is what my crew wants; we want what you, Jay, Evie and Carlos have." At that Sammy Smee and the other young pirates nodded in agreement.

"Oh great, this is Uma all over again," said Carlos.

"You can't have Ben or any of our significant others, Harriet!" said Evie, "and we certainly won't hand over Auradon to you!"

At that Harriet laughed heartily and was soon joined by her crew, leaving Evie and the others highly confused.

"Uh…did I tell a joke without meaning to?" Evie asked.

"You couldn't be more wrong," said Harriet after she finally calmed down, "What you have that we want is freedom."

"We want to leave the waters of Auradon and never come back," said Clay, "to brave the open ocean and feel the wild wind on our faces."

"And we don't want you Auradonians chasing after us," said Claudine, "we'd rather die than be dragged back to The Isle of The Lost."

"To Davy Jones' locker with The Isle!" said Anthony, "to Davy Jones' Locker with our parents and their obsession with revenge and 'the bad old days!'"

"What we want, Mal," said Harriet, "is for you and your kingly kindred spirit to simply let us go." She then looked at Ben, "this is my offer, oh wise and youthful king of Auradon; we deliver you home, you let my crew and I go our merry way with no questions asked."

"Done," said Ben.

"I figured you'd resist," said Harriet. She then did a double take, "wait…what?"

"You want your freedom, you'll get it," said Ben, "once my friends and I are safely back on Auradon soil, you and your crew are free to go."

"That's it?" Harriet asked.

"That's it," said Ben. He then looked at the assembled crew of young pirates, "if you can get me and my friends back home safe and sound, I give you my word as King of Auradon that whatever crimes you've committed on The Isle will be exonerated. This includes the crimes of your parents. In fact, you're all welcome to stay in Auradon, if you wish."

"That's right," said Evie, "the days of us VK's sharing the punishments of our parents are over," she looked at Anthony, "your cousin Dizzy is staying with us as Auradon Prep and is planning on starting her own hair salon."

"Are you trying to entice my crew into mutiny?" Harriet asked.

"We're saying they have a choice," said Carlos, "they can choose to be good."

"What if we don't feel like being good?" Claudine asked, "what if we don't want to turn into AK's?"

"You can still be you, just your best you," said Jay.

"Be on your best behavior," said Mal, "you can still be yourself without acting like jerks all the time."

"Can we still be jerks now and then?" Anthony asked.

"Forget about it!" said Clay, "We have a plan and we're sticking to it! As soon as we dump the mainlanders back in Auradon, we're taking off for parts unknown!"

"You can take off for parts unknown if you want," said Geoffrey, "I'm staying. Where Princess Evie goes, I go."

"That's really not necessary," said a somewhat embarrassed Evie.

"Oh, but it is, Princess Evie," said Geoffrey, "my uncle failed your mother, though in a way I'm glad he did. I mean, while he disobeyed orders and refused to cut out Snow White's heart, I'm happy he doesn't have innocent blood on his hands. But that's beside the point!"

"The point is that you're part of this crew and you're staying part of this crew!" said Harriet, "it's bad enough we caught one traitor this night, I don't want anyone else abandoning ship." She then looked at Ben with unsure yet hopeful eyes, "on the other hand, it wouldn't hurt to have a safe port of call."

"I think we could arrange something," said Ben.

Suddenly the submarine was rocked by an explosion in the water outside, followed by another blast from another direction.

"Now what?!" both Mulan and Lonnie asked.

On the ship's intercom came Ginny's voice, "Skipper! We're under attack!"

"No kidding!" said Harriet as more explosions rocked the boat, "All Hands To Battle Station!" With that she dashed out of the common area, followed by her crew.

"Gee, I wonder who's attacking us?" Carlos asked sarcastically as the room rapidly emptied itself of young pirates.

"Heinrich, duh!" said Chad. He then glared at Elisabeth, "he's your dad, right? Make him stop or something!"

"He's not gonna stop," said Elisabeth, "and he'll never stop until he has what he wants."

"And in this case, he wants our heads," said Jill.

"Well, I'm not going to stand around here and do nothing!" said Mal. She hurried out of the common room, followed by Ben and Andrew.

They found Harriet dashing down the main hatch into the map room. Another bomb detonated, this time much closer and made the submarine rock hard enough to send Harriet tumbling down the hatch stairs.

"What's happening?" Andrew asked as Ben and Mal helped Harriet back up. "is it the Transdorians?"

"No, it's St. Nicholas delivering presents for us since we were so good this year!" said Harriet irately as more bombs exploded around the sub, "Of Course It's The Transdorians! Gods damn you, King Ben, you and your friends are gonna get me and my crew killed!" She then dashed up the spiral staircase to the wheelhouse, then stopped to glare back at Ben, "and if this ship goes down for the last time, I swear you and yours will go down with her!"

Ben and Mal looked at each other before hurrying up the stairs. They found Harriet at the wheel, issuing commands to her crewmates.

"Emergency dive!" shouted Harriet, "fifteen degrees down!"

"Fifteen degrees down!" replied Ginny as she manipulated the diving controls. Mal and Ben grabbed onto a nearby railing as The Gray Phantom steeply dove into the water.

"I really hope your ship building skills are up to the task, Harriet," said Mal. She and Ben watched the light fade in the water outside as the sub dove deeper and deeper.

"As do I, Mal," said Harriet as she gripped the wheel harder, "as do I."

"We all have the utmost confidence in Captain Harriet Hook," said Sammy Smee as he monitored several control gages, "we just hope Captain Nemo was as brilliant as the legends say he was."

"So do we," said Ben as he and Mal held hands.

* * *

 **…The Falcon's Nest…**

"They appear to have dove under the lake," said a security technician to Dr. Orange.

"I can see that!" snapped Dr. Orange as she pointed to the holographic display in the control room.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Frederic asked as on the hologram, more VTOL icons circled the lake and dropped their bombs.

"First, have the VTOL craft switch to depth charges," said Dr. Orange to the communication technician, "I'll force that submarine or whatever it was back to the surface."

"Better hurry with that," said Karl, "remember, Lake Vokaska has an underground river connecting to the ocean."

"Supposedly," said Dr. Orange in a correcting manner.

"Well, apparently it is true," said an annoyed Stefan as he held an icepack to one of his wounds, "how else could a foreign submarine get into Lake Vokaska? We'll never catch up with them if they get into that tunnel."

"I'm prepared for that eventuality," said Dr. Orange as she indicated a larger VTOL icon on the hologram, "I'll give the depth charges a chance to do their job," she then smiled with wicked anticipation, "then I'll show those interloping infidels what it is to make an enemy out of me. Then they'll know the meaning of _Deep Terror_."

"Uh…you do know that our fiancées are on that boat, right?" Karl asked.

"Of course I know that," said Dr. Orange, "but in the process of eliminating the others, your fiancées are accidentally _liquidated_ ," she then laughed at her own pun, "then who's to say I'm at fault? And you can always find other wives; after all, there's plenty of fish in the sea!" she then laughed even harder, to which Karl, Gustav, Wilhelm and Fredric joined in, while Stefan sighed in disgust.

Unknown to Dr. Orange and the von Karstein boys, a spy camera was in place in the control room and monitoring the camera feed in another part of the castle was Adriane.

"So, Edwina's gonna deploy her toy to take out my asset," said Adriane to herself, seemingly forgetting Uma, Harry and Gil were right behind her.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" said Adriane as she pulled out her cell phone, "I still have one ace up my sleeve."

* * *

 **…Aboard _The Gray Phantom_ …**

"There, I finally got you to shut up!" said C.J. viciously as she admired her handiwork of using her coat to tie up and gag Zevon, whom glared contemptuously up at her.

"Congratulations," said Fen dryly.

"And those stupid blasts outside have stopped," said C.J.

"Wonderful," said Fen sarcastically as she used her jacket as a pillow, "at least now I can get some sleep."

"But then who'll I play with?" C.J. asked, "it'll be just silly talking to myself."

"Try not talking," said Fen, "maybe it'll improve your disposition. Now if you'll excuse me, I may as well get some sleep before the Skipper decides my fate."

"Oh, Harriet's not gonna do anything to you," said C.J., "She may like dump us on an island with just a pistol and one shot, but she won't hurt us."

"She may not hurt _you_!" said Fen irately, "you're her baby sister! I'm her adjutant and I stabbed her in the back!"

"Well, so did I," said C.J.

"But my knife went deeper than yours," said Fen, "look, we can argue whose betrayal is the worst all you want, but I'm tired and I want one last good night's sleep before I'm given The Black Spot. Is that too much to ask for?" with that she laid down on the floor with her back turned to C.J.

"But…I'll be bored," said C.J.

At that Fen sighed with aggravation, "fine, you want something to do? We'll play a game."

"Alright!" said C.J. as she sat down next to Fen, "what kind of game."

"It's called the quiet game," said Fen, "whoever goes the longest without making any noise is the winner."

"That's a game?" C.J. asked hesitantly.

"Oh, it's very fun," said Fen, "I'm the world champ, you know. I'll bet you can't beat me!" with that she gave an overly enthusiastic smile with an accompanying 'squee.'

"I never refuse a bet," said C.J., "and you're on!"

"Then we'll start on three," said Fen, "one…two…"

That's as far as Fen got before she cried out in pain, clutching at her jaw and ear as her teeth vibrated and a near-deafening electronic squeal resounded in her head.

"Oh, wow, you really suck at this game," said C.J.

But Fen wasn't listening as the pain in her jaw and ear got worse, before she heard Adriane's voice.

" _Can you hear me, Fen?"_

"HZ-19," said Fen as she stood up, "yes, I hear you, I completely forgot about the transceiver in my tooth."

"Who are you talking to?" C.J. asked as both she and Zevon looked at Fen with curious eyes.

Fen ignored her as she continued to listen to Adriane, "yes…yes, I understand, I'll do as you ask, even at the cost of my life."

Zevon managed to spit C.J.'s coat sleeve out of his mouth, "and just what do you intentioning on doing?"

"Oops! Can't let you spoil things," said C.J. as she hurried over to gag Zevon again.

"No, don't," said Fen as she walked over and untied Zevon, "we'll need him."

"What?" C.J. asked as Fen helped Zevon up.

"Just what do you need me for?" Zevon asked as he rubbed his wrists, "some manicalious maliciousness I dare to hope?"

"If you're like planning a jail break," said C.J., "can we leave him behind?"

"I'll leave you behind!" snapped Zevon. At that he and C.J. began a furious slap fight.

"Stop it!" said Fen, "or I'll leave you both behind!"

"So, you are planning on busting out," said Zevon, "how can we be of assistantatiousness?"

"First of all, keep your mouth shut," said Fen, "C.J.'s right, you really talk too much. Second," at that she stuck two fingers down her throat and began retching.

"Oh…oh, like, don't do that," said a disgusted C.J., "you don't really need to be sick to play the sick prisoner trick."

"Don't be ridiculous," said Fen, "that never really works. No, I need to throw something up," she stuck her fingers down her throat again. Seconds later she coughed up a small, egg-shaped object made from plastic.

"What's that?" C.J. asked cautiously.

"A polyurethane case for emergency supplies," said Fen as she washed off the plastic egg. She opened it and pulled out a set of lockpicks.

"We are breaking out!" said Zevon triumphantly, "I can see it all now! We'll take over the sub and rule the seven seas with an ironing fist!"

"Oh, we're not gonna take over the sub," said Fen as she went to work on the door, "just one thing."

But then the sub was rocked by another explosion outside, one much closer than the bombs before.

"Assuming we live that long!" said Fen as another explosion detonated.

* * *

"DEPTH CHARGES! THE BASTARDS!" exclaimed Geoffrey as more and more explosions detonated outside The Gray Phantom, rocking the boat as it dover deeper and deeper into the lake. He, Owen, Evie, Jay and the rest of our heroes and allies were still in the common area, holding onto whatever was bolted to the floor or walls.

"How much farther down do we have to go?" Carlos asked after the sub stopped shaking from a depth charge blast, then shook from another.

"Until we get under the detonation range," said Owen, "it shouldn't be much longer." He then saw the looks on Evie, Jay and the Auradonians, "don't worry, my mainlander friends, this ship is build solid."

"I'm not worried," said Saul, "I can tell just by listening she's build solid."

"You have an ear for the sea," said Owen.

"But how can you be sure we won't sink?" Audrey asked in a mildly panicking tone, "what if the ship leaks? What if…?"

"The Gray Phantom is designed to counteract leaks and hull breaches," said Owen, "watertight doors and compartments, water pumps and emergency oxygen cylinders, plus one or two of my own improvements to Captain Nemo's original designs."

"So it's true," said Phillip, "your ship, it's based on _The Nautilus_. But that's impossible."

"We're here, aren't we, dad?" Audrey asked.

"But how did you base your sub on Nemo's designs?" Mulan asked.

"I thought all of Nemo's work was lost in the destruction of Vulcania," said Doug, "and all the notes Professor Aronnax wrote in his journal were also lost."

"But Aronnax's testimony after the sinking of _The Nautilus_ stated that Nemo had hope for the future," said Owen, "in my quarters is a copy of Nemo's original designs for _The Nautilus_. I don't know how he did it, but he had that copy preserved and set adrift before he blew up Vulcania. By sheer chance, it washed ashore on The Isle of The Lost, where I found it and shared it with Captain Harriet Hook."

"And you built this submarine out of recycled Auradon junk," said Evie.

"But how'd you keep it a secret?" Jay asked, "How'd you keep Mal the rest of us from finding out? How'd you keep it from Uma?"

"And how'd you keep it from all our parents?" Carlos asked, "if my mom found out there was a working sub waiting to leave The Isle, she'd tear half The Isle apart to get to it."

"It wasn't easy," said Owen, "but…" he then paused in reluctant hesitation, as if unsure to tell anything else.

"We might as well," said Geoffrey as he rolled his sleeve up, "all our plans have gone out the porthole." He then showed Evie and the others a scar below his elbow.

"Every crewmember of The Gray Phantom has a similar mark," said Owen as he showed his scar, "we swore an oath, 'May I burn in hell before I betray my crew.'"

"And after hearing Claudine's father rant and rave about his time in hell," said Geoffrey, "none of us were eager to share the experience."

It was then that the sub leveled off and the explosions stopped outside.

Harriet, Mal, Ben and Andrew entered the common area, "Well, you can all relax; we're in the underground river, on our way to the open ocean."

"And home," said a relieved Lonnie, while Jane, Evie and the others sighed with alleviation.

"I hope we get there soon," said a nervous Aurora, "I don't think I like being in this tin can very much."

"I don't mind it at all," said Elisabeth as she looked out the observation window, marveling at the gloomy water outside, "I kinda like it. Down here, far below the light of the sun, I feel safe."

"Is it because of your sensitivity to sunlight?" Jane asked cautiously, "or because you're a…well…you know…"

"A vampire?" Elisabeth asked, "I don't know. I am a whole new person, a whole new lifeform, with powers and abilities I barely understand," she gazed deeper out the observation window, "I wonder how long I can hold my breath out there?"

"That's easily found out," said Harriet, "one trip to the diving room and you can step outside if you want."

"No!" Audrey insisted, "you're not throwing her out the airlock, or whatever it is you have on this boat!" She looked at Elisabeth, "you don't have to live like this forever, Cassandra. We'll find a cure or something, something to turn you back…"

"Into that crippled coward?!" snapped Elisabeth as she glared at Audrey, making her flinch back, "that gutless gimp too ashamed of herself to confront her tormentors?! Is that what you want of me, JoJo? You want me to become that weak, pathetic waste of DNA!?"

"No! No, I don't!" Audrey pleaded. She would have said more, if Phillip hadn't gotten between her and Elisabeth.

"Don't you yell at my daughter, you blood-sucking freak!" snapped Phillip as he reached for his sword, then frowned when there wasn't one to draw, "oh, that's right, Heinrich's men took it."

"OH DAMN!" exclaimed Mulan, "I left the Fa family sword back at The Falcon's Nest! Oh, I am in so much trouble with my ancestors!"

"So, you left your sword behind," said Andrew, "I left my .475 pistol behind, do you see me freaking out?"

"It's the family sword!" said Lonnie, "passed down from generation to generation!"

"And it's supposed to be Lonnie's one day," said Mulan, "and I left it in Heinrich's filthy hands! Oh, I am so dishonored. At least I didn't take Shang Yu's sword with me to Transdoria. If I'd lost that…"

It was then that Ginny's voice screamed over the sub's intercom, "SKIPPER!"

"Now what?!" Harriet asked irately as she hurried out of the common area. Mal, Ben and Andrew followed her again through the map room up the spiral staircase to the wheelhouse, just as Ginny screamed again.

"SKIPPER!"

"Ye-yeah?" asked Harriet as she saw Ginny pointing at something out the rear window.

"LOOOOOK!" screamed Ginny as what she was pointing at, got close enough for Harriet, Ben, Mal and Andrew to see; a giant squid rapidly closing in on The Gray Phantom.

"OH FRAK!" exclaimed Harriet, "No! No! No! No! NO!"

"What's a giant squid doing in an underground river?!" Mal asked as Harriet bounced around the wheelhouse, panicking like a headless chicken.

"That's not a giant squid," said Elisabeth as she, Audrey, Jane and Lonnie came up the spiral staircase, "it's not even alive!"

"Dear God, it's a machine!" Saul as he came up the spiral staircase, "I can hear the metal parts! It's another mecha!"

"Dr. Orange! Edwina Xandrand!" said Jane, "she sent it!"

"You mean it's not a real giant squid?" Harriet asked, "oh, well, that's different! Emergency Speed! All Engines!"

"AYE, SKIPPER!" shouted Sammy Smee and the rest of the crew. The false giant squid fell back a bit, only to accelerate and close the gap even further.

"That thing'll be on us any second now," said Ben, "and if it's anything like the real giant squid that attacked _The Nautilus_ , then we're in for one raw deal!"

"Then it's a good thing this isn't _The Nautilus_ ," said Harriet. She then went to the intercom, "Mr. Owen, engage the Turbo Boost!"

"Aye, Skipper!" said Owen in the engine room. Seconds later The Gray Phantom violently accelerated with enough force to knock Mal and the others off their feet.

"Bye-bye, metal mouth!" said Claudine as the mechanical monstrosity feel farther and farther behind.

"Well, this is definitely an improvement on Nemo's design," said Andrew as he and the others got up.

"Yeah, but it's got one problem," said Harriet as Ginny intensely gripped the wheel, "as long as the Turbo Boost lasts, we can barely maneuver."

"So?" Jay asked, just as the sub shook from scraping against the tunnel wall.

"So," said an irate Claudine as she helped Ginny with the wheel, "we're in a section of the underground river with a lot of twists and turns!"

"So turn off the Turbo Boost!" said Ben.

"We can't," said Harriet as the sub shook from another wall scrape, "the Turbo Boost is for emergency getaways, for when we need to put a lot of distance between an enemy."

The sub scraped harder against the tunnel wall and nearly knocked Mal and the others over again, "how long does it last?"

"Another thirty seconds, I think," said Harriet.

"You think?" Ben asked incredulously.

"Well, we've never used it before," said Harriet as she too helped with the wheel, "if we can just get past these next few turns without rupturing the hull…" She, Ginny and Claudine swiftly turned the wheel back and forth from to port and starboard.

"Almost there…" said Harriet, "one last sharp turn and…"

CRUNCH!

The sub shook hard as the stern caught on the tunnel wall, then shook harder as the sub banged against the wall from the recoil.

"We're through!" said Harriet as the sub slowed down and straightened out, "All engines stop! Surface and check for damage!"

"That was…" said Ben as he helped a visibly trembling Mal back up.

"Not our best efforts," said Harriet, "but under the circumstances, I say we did alright. We're safe for now."

"Oh wow, check it out!" said Jane as she looked out the front windows, seeing the underground lake as the frothing water drained from the sub.

"Is it safe to go outside?" Audrey asked.

"The air's stale and isn't pleasing to the senses, but it's breathable," said Harriet, "but don't get comfortable. As soon as we check for leaks, we're submerging again. The Turbo Boost bought us some time, but not much."

"I just want some air," said Audrey as she, Elisabeth, Jane and Lonnie went down the stairs to the map room, "I don't feel too good from that crazy ride."

Just then Owen dashed up the spiral staircase, "Skipper! The engine's overheating!"

"WHAT!?" snapped Harriet, "again!? We just fixed the blasted thing!"

"I must have missed something from Fen's bomb!" said Owen, "I'm gonna have to take the whole coolant system apart to find the damage."

Harriet muttered a curse before responding, "How long?"

"I don't know! Depends on what's wrong!" said Owen, "could be a leak in a coolant line, a short circuit in the control system, it could be anything!"

At that Saul held up his fist for silence, "whatever you're gonna do, do it fast. That metal squid's catching up with us."

"Owen?!" said Harriet anxiously.

"I know, I'll worry about my miracles," said Owen as he hurried down the stairs, "and you work on yours!"

"Now what?" Ben asked.

"Well, we can either fight that thing when it gets here," said Harriet, "or dive to the bottom of the lake and hide. We can still dive but that's it."

"Well, I'm sick and tired of being on the defensive," said Mal, "let's go outside and fight that false fish."

"You want to tackle a robot giant squid?" Sammy Smee asked, "you're a braver VK than I am."

"It'll be easy," said Mal, "I'll just get mad at it, turn into a dragon, breathe some fire and instant metal calamari."

"You can't!" said Elisabeth as she hurried up the stairs, "you can't use your powers outside!"

"Why not?" Mal asked.

"Because it stinks outside!" said an irate, coughing Audrey from below in the map room, while Jane and Lonnie could also be heard coughing.

"I told you the air wasn't exactly like roses," said Harriet.

"Did you know it was Methane gas?" Elisabeth asked.

"Methane?" Ben asked.

"The air's full of it," said Elisabeth, "one spark out there and 'BOOM!'" she then looked at Mal, "so turning into a dragon and breathing fire isn't exactly the best idea."

"Yeah, you're right," said a somewhat sheepish Mal, "so, what do we do? How do we fight that thing?"

"Andrew?" Ben asked, "you're the man with the plan, so what's your plan?"

"What do you think I've been doing all this time?" Andrew asked, "taking a nap?! Give me a second!"

"We don't have too many seconds," said an uncomfortable Saul, "that metal squid's looking for us, or should I say, listening for us."

It was then that our heroes heard a faint pinging sound that was slowly but steadily getting louder.

"It's equipped with Sonar," said Saul as he rubbed the sides of his head to ward off a headache.

"Tell me something we don't know," said an exasperated Ben, "this is just great; we can't fight it and if we hide it'll find us!" he looked at Harriet, "unless one of your improved designs can camouflage the sub from sonar."

"Uh…" said Harriet nervously as she looked at her crewmates, to which Sammy Smee, Claudine and Ginny shook their heads.

"No, I'm sorry, but The Gray Phantom can't," said Harriet.

"I can cast a camouflage spell over the sub," said Mal.

"It'll only hide us visually," said Saul, "one sonar ping and it'll know exactly where to find us."

At that, as if a lightbulb lit above his head, Andrew stood up and smiled, "what if we can hide the sub from sonar? What if we can?"

* * *

 **…The Falcon's Nest…**

"Yes, my precious," said Dr. Orange as she watched the telemetry from her squid mecha, "Yes, Deep Terror, seek out your prey! Feed on the fear of those who dare stand in our way to glory!"

"Uh…should we be worried about her?" Frederic asked.

"Ah, she's just another mad scientist," said Karl, "just another crackpot Father dredged up for his plans."

"CRACKPOT?!" exclaimed Dr. Orange, "CRACKPOT!? I have degrees in robotics, cybernetics and other fields of science your barbaric brains couldn't dream of! As for your father, he should be on his knees, begging me to produce his war machines! When he learns what Deep Terror is about to do to the interlopers, he will beg on his knees! Just you wait!"

"Oh, we'll tell him," said Stefan, "we'll tell him what you said, and your head will be on a spike within the hour!"

"Her head should be on a spike right now!" said Gustav, "she's gonna kill the girls along with the others!"

"Why should you care?!" Wilhelm asked, "you're not marrying one of the girls!"

"You can't get married anyway!" said Frederic to Gustav, "not with that piece of pasta between your legs!" With that he, Wilhelm and Karl laughed cruelly.

"Shut up!" snapped Gustav, "it could have happened to one of you just as easily!" He then glared at Dr. Orange, "and you, I'm watching you! If you think you can just arbitrarily slaughter my future sisters-in-law, think again! Father wants the girls back here alive!"

"And he'll have them back safe and sound," said Dr. Orange, "but, if your paramour and her friends put up a stiff resistance and end up getting themselves killed, who's to say I didn't do my best to bring them back alive?"

She turned her attention back to Deep Terror's data, "Oh, so they think they can hide in an underground lake, can they? Well, let's just throw a wet blanket on their party, shall we?"

But then she frowned as more data came in, "what's this? We've lost the sonar signal? Impossible!" She then furiously typed on her tablet, "they couldn't have disappeared! They just couldn't have!"

"Now what?" Frederic asked.

"If I understand what's on the data screen," said Stefan, "the mecha, Deep Terror, was tracking the fugitive submarine via advanced sonar. The sub had nearly gotten away but stopped in an underground lake, and the mecha almost caught up with it. But just as Deep Terror was closing in, the submarine disappeared on sonar."

"It must have gotten away," said Gustav.

"I don't think so," said Stefan, "bear and mind naval warfare isn't my forte, but the enemy sub was stopped dead in the water. But now there's no trace of it."

"It has to be there!" snapped Dr. Orange, "submarines don't just disappear, even with the most advanced stealth technology, it has to be there! I'll ping the hell out of that cave until Deep Terror finds the sub!"

Five minutes later the von Karstein boys were frustrated watching the data screen display Deep Terror swimming around the underground lake, sending out constant sonar blasts and listening at the returning echos.

"The inside of that cave must be deafening," said Gustav, "seriously, if the girls and their kidnappers are still there, they're deaf by now."

"Or they've gotten away," said Stefan. "Dr. Orange, surely by now you must realize they've escaped. Dr. Orange? Dr. Orange?"

At that time, Dr. Orange looked so frustrated, she could chew glass and not care, "No one escapes from me! No one, do you hear! No One!" she then ordered Deep Terror out of the underground lake and into the exiting tunnel.

"She'll never catch them now," said Karl, "she wasted too much time. I'll bet they're halfway to the ocean."

"Or they're still in the lake," said Gustav, "but that metal squid was all over the lake. What are the odds they're still there?"

* * *

 **…aboard The Gray Phantom…**

"I think our odds are improving," said Harriet as she and the others sat in the common area of the sub, "yes, Mr. Smee, our odds are definitely improving."

"What?" asked Chad.

"I said our odds are improving!" said Harriet.

"What?!" Chad asked, "I can't here you with these earplugs in!"

"What'd you say?!" asked Harriet, "I'm wearing earplugs!"

At that Sammy Smee reached up and removed a pair of earplugs from Harriet's ears, "it's safe now, Captain. The enemy mecha has ceased its sonar search."

"Ah, good, very good, Mr. Smee," said Harriet, "it's safe to remove your earplugs, everyone!"

"What?!" asked Chad, while Ben and the others tool their earplugs out.

"My ears are still ringing a bit," said an uncomfortable Doug, "even with the plugs, all those sonar pings…"

"You weren't the only one afraid of going deaf," said Jill, "but just imagine, it was worse for our friends outside."

"Oh, no!" said Ben, "Mal's still outside!" with that he hurried out of the common area towards the diving airlock.

"Mal's not the only one outside!" Jill called after him.

"Saul and Mal, out in diving suits," said a worried Evie, "it must have been terrible for them."

"They saved us, I'm sure it was worth it," said Harriet.

"Yeah, and you owe Mal for this, big time, Harriet," said Jay.

"I suppose so," said Harriet, "just as I'm sure Mal will lord it over me for the rest of our natural lives, but the debt isn't to her and her alone."

Andrew walked into the room, "and here's the true man of the hour! The man with the plan!" said Harriet as she stood up and shook Andrew's hand, "combining Mal's illusionary magic with Saul's power over sound to hide The Gray Phantom from the enemy. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"

"Yeah, well, we're not out of the woods yet," said Andrew, "your engineer still needs to find out what's wrong with the coolant system."

"Yeah, well, that's Owen's bailiwick, not mine," said Harriet.

"Oh, who cares about who works with what?!" exclaimed a frustrated Evie, "I'm gonna go check on Mal!" with that she left the room.

"What?" Chad asked, "what's her problem?"

"Take your earplugs out, man!" said Andrew.

"What?" Chad asked.

* * *

Evie found Ben outside the airlock of the diving chamber. Through the reinforced window, they saw three of the young pirates and two figures in diving suits, helping a third out of the diving pool. Once the third diver was on the deck and the chamber repressurized, Ben and Evie opened the door and went inside.

"Mal, you alright?" Ben asked as the three pirates helped the divers remove their helmets.

"Yeah, I think so," said an exhausted Mal.

"I'm fine too, thank you very much," said Saul as he leaned against the chamber wall.

"It's their first time diving," said Geoffrey, whom was the third diver, "the pressure and cold of the water, it's not for the faint of heart."

"Let's just say I don't ever want to have to use magic like that again," said Mal, "in fact, I think I'll lay off it for a while. As soon as we get back to Auradon, I'm taking a long, long nap."

"You're more than welcome to my bunk, Lady Mal," said Geoffrey, "I can sleep on the floor, or better yet, I can sleep where Princess Evie is bunking. I shall be by her side in case she needs me for anything, even the most trifle of trivialities!"

"Geoffrey!" snapped Evie irately.

"Yes, Princess?!" Geoffrey asked as he snapped to attention.

At that Evie sighed and spoke in a calmer, yet concerned tone, "Geoffrey, we need to have a very, very serious discussion before we go any further."

"Of course, Princess Evie," said Geoffrey, "whatever you say."

Evie would have responded with something to discourage Geoffrey's blind loyalty, or at least tried to, when the sound of the engine starting resounded throughout The Gray Phantom.

* * *

"It was a cracked coolant line that nearly did us in, Skipper," said Owen as he wiped his hands with a rag, "though, it wasn't so much as a crack, more like a great big hole in the pipe spewing coolant everywhere. But I patched it up as best I could."

"Well, the engine's running again, so your best is good enough, Mr. Owen," said Harriet.

"No, it's not, Skipper," said Owen in a serious tone, "my best may not be enough. In the last few hours, The Gray Phantom has been through more than we expected her to endure in a year; damaged coolant system, a bomb in the engine room and God knows how many pinhole leaks in the hull we may not find until we're up to our ankles in water."

"Your point, Mr. Owen?" Harriet asked.

"We're okay for the moment, Skipper," said Owen, "but we need to put the boat in drydock as soon as possible. I'm sorry, Skipper, but The Gray Phantom needs a complete overhaul if we're ever to resume our true mission."

"I'm afraid he's right, Captain," said Sammy Smee, "if we're to make the open ocean our home, we need to treat The Gray Phantom right. We owe her that much."

At that Harriet looked lost in thought for a few seconds, "yes, we owe her that much, and we will treat her right, all in good time. But first thing's first; getting our collective arses out of this subsurface death trap of a lake."

A short time later, with Harriet at the wheel, The Gray Phantom entered the tunnel and was on her way back to the open ocean.

"Let's hope nothing else happens before we get there," said a slightly rested Mal as she and Ben stood in the wheelhouse behind Harriet. Mal then looked around the room, "uh…I don't see any wood to knock on."

"I've a few special pieces of driftwood in my quarters," said Harriet, "and no, you can't knock on them. No, I've had one too many unwelcome guests in my chambers, thank you very much."

"We'll be fine, Harriet," said Ben, "and thank you again for taking us aboard your vessel. If there's anything I can do to express my gratitude to you and your crew, name it and I'll see what I can do to make it happen."

"Some use of Auradon's finest drydock would be nice," said Sammy Smee.

"Done!" said Ben, "just tell me what you need to fix the boat and you'll get it."

"Much appreciated," said Harriet, "so long as you understand that as soon as The Gray Phantom is seaworthy again, we're setting sail."

"Yeah, we know," said Mal, "but you're still welcome to stay in Auradon."

"We'll come back and visit sometime," said Harriet.

Several hours later, The Gray Phantom emerged from the tunnel and surfaced out in the open ocean to an overcast sky.

"It's gloomy out, but I've never seen anything more beautiful," said a relieved Jane as she, Evie and Lonnie stood on the deck of the sub, taking in the salty ocean air.

"There's many kinds of gloominess," said Evie, "some more happier than others, and believe me, I know gloomy."

It was then that Audrey and Elisabeth, the later wrapped in an opaquer cloak than before, climbed out onto the deck, "what are you girls doing?" Audrey asked.

"Enjoying the sweetness of freedom," said Lonnie, "what brings you topside?"

"Looking for that idiot Chad," said Elisabeth, "if I'm gonna be living with you girls and he's gonna try dating JoJo again, I'm gonna have a few words with him."

"Okay, so long as you don't go sucking up his blood, he's all yours," said a somewhat nervous Jane.

"I only kill people I don't like," said Elisabeth, "Chad, I'm still debating about him." She then laughed as she saw the worried look on Jane, "I'm kidding, I'd never hurt you lot, you know that."

"Yeah, I know," said a still unsure Jane.

"Well, if you're looking for Chad, he's over there," said Lonnie as she pointed to the stern of the sub, where Chad, Owen and another young pirate were fishing.

"Are you gonna talk to him now?" Audrey asked, "because I'd rather you wait until we're on dry land."

"Why? Are you afraid of the water?" Elisabeth asked.

"No, I just don't want you accidentally knocking him overboard," said Audrey, "you still don't know your full strength. Besides, it's Mal who doesn't like the water, she can't swim."

"Then why is she up there with Ben and Harriet?" Lonnie asked as she pointed to the wheelhouse windows, where Ben, Harriet and Mal were inspecting the starboard side glass.

"I'm telling you, there's a crack," said Mal as she pointed at the window.

"You're mistaken," said Harriet, "if there was a crack in the window, the pressure while submerged would have worsened it and the wheelhouse would have flooded."

"Then why did I see a crack when we surfaced?" Mal asked.

"There is a crack," said Ben, "and there's more than one. And look at the deck, there's little cracks everywhere."

Giving Ben an irate look, Harriet then examined the metal exterior of the sub, then knelt for a closer look. To her shock and disgust, she saw small fractures crisscrossing across the sub.

"Maybe building a submarine out of recycled junk wasn't such a good idea," said Ben.

"No, we can fix this!" said Harriet as she stood up, "The Gray Phantom just needs some tender loving care, that's all. She'll be right as rain in no time. Mr. Smee?!"

"Yes, Captain!" said Sammy Smee, "what are your…" he suddenly froze, then his expression turned to one of absolute horror as he pointed at something behind Harriet and the others.

"What has gotten into you, Mr. Smee?" Harriet asked, "what is…" as if on instinct, Harriet turned around, just as the mechanical giant squid that was Deep Terror, slammed into the sub and latched on with its tentacles.

The sub shook from the impact hard enough to knock Mall off her feet. She fell screaming into the ocean.

"MAL!" shouted Ben as he dove after her. He swam to Mal and grabbed her, but then they were forced farther from the sub as one of the tentacles lashed out towards them.

But then Elisabeth, whom had dived in after Ben, appeared beside them, "Hang on, you two," she said as she grabbed Ben and Mal, "and take a deep breath!" She then dove under, taking Mal and Ben with her. Swimming far faster than the fastest human swimmer, Elisabeth kicked her way to The Gray Phantom's stern and leapt out of the water onto the deck with her two waterlogged passengers.

"You're welcome," said Elisabeth to the gasping Ben and Mal. Any further conversation was delayed as the crew of young pirates scrambled onto the deck, weapons in hand and desperately engaged in combat with the metal squid.

"Get off my boat, you rusting pile of refuse!" shouted Harriet as she and her crew fired their makeshift pistols and riffles at Deep Terror, yet the bullets merely bounced off it's metal skin. All the while, the mechanical squid lashed out with its tentacles at the crew and the sub.

"Skipper! That thing's gonna tear the ship apart!" shouted Owen as he helped hand out ammunition to the crew.

"Mr. Owen, if I wanted the obvious, I'd ask for it!" said Harriet as she reloaded her pipe pistol. "Now get that thing off my sub!"

"You want it off?!" Mal asked after running forward, "I'll get it off!" She then charged up a sphere of magic and threw it at Deep Terror, freezing the mechanical squid in place.

"There," said Mal smugly as she cracked her knuckles, "now you can push it off and it'll fall to the ocean floor.

* * *

 **…The Falcon's Nest…**

"What? What?! WHAT!?" exclaimed Dr. Orange as she read the data from Deep Terror's systems, "Frozen by magic! Unacceptable! Do you hear me?! UNACCEPTABLE!"

"Well, so much for that," said Stefan, "I guess we'll have to figure out some other way of getting the girls back here."

"Oh, no," said Dr. Orange as a deranged smile grew on her face, "I'm far from defeated." She then slammed her fist on a large button, "ACTIVATE THE ABREMALIN FIELD!"

* * *

Deep Terror glowed with a pale aura and resumed lashing about with its tentacles.

"I thought you froze the gods damned thing!" said Harriet.

"I did!" said Mal as she charged up another spell and threw it at the mechanical squid, yet the spell fizzled out before it hit the metal monster, "I…oh no, no! It's got its own anti-magic field!"

"Then we'll have to destroy it the old fashion way," said Andrew as he emerged from the main hatch with a missile launcher on his shoulder, "look what I found in the ship's armory!"

"Who gave you permission to access the armory!?" Harriet demanded, then shook her head, "you know what, never mind, just blast the damned thing!"

"Will do!" said Andrew as he gave Harriet a salute. He then aimed and fired a missile at Deep Terror. The projectile hit and detonated, blowing off one of the eight smaller arms of the mechanical squid.

"One down, nine to go!" said Andrew as he reloaded the missile launcher. But then one of the larger arms extended and lashed out, hitting Andrew on the head hard enough to knock him unconscious. He fell into the water, still clutching the missile launcher, which dragged him down with its dead weight.

"NO!" shouted Jill as she watched from the main hatch. Without a second thought, Jill dove into the water after her husband.

"Oh, this is bad," said Laura as she emerged from the main hatch, "this is so bad and," she then ducked as one of the larger tentacles nearly grabbed her, "HEY!" she shouted with outrage, "don't you get fresh with me!"

Dashing forward, Laura attacked Deep Terror with Cat's Eye Whiplash, the feline Stand leaping onto and striking with her claws. Mal and ben watched in amazement as Cat's Eye Whiplash scoured deep marks on the metal squid's body, then tore off one of the arms and threw it into the ocean.

"And that's how we do things in Joy Division!" said Laura as she gave a dramatic bow, then screamed in terror and outrage as she was grabbed by one of the larger tentacles. Laura was carried over to the main body of Deep Terror and danged in front of its gnashing metallic beak.

"Oh My God! It's gonna eat her!" shouted Mal as Lara was pulled closer and closer to Deep Terror's mouth.

But then something incredibly fast ran over, grabbed Laura and ran back, something that turned out to be Leon.

"Oh, my hero," said Laura as she kissed Leon.

"Any time, my dear Laura," said Leon as he set her down on the deck. He then picked her up again and kissed her on the mouth as she flung her arms around his neck.

"Oh, gag me with a spoon already!" said Kaylee as she ducked and dodged the lashing tentacles with the fluid and grace of a natural acrobat. Glowing with Hamon, she leapt ballet-like and kicked Deep Terror on one of its larger tentacles. The metal appendage sparked with electricity and exploded.

* * *

 **…The Falcon's Nest…**

"What Is This!" exclaimed Dr. Orange, "An overload?! Inconceivable! How can the arm overloaded!?"

"Guess the wiring wasn't up to code or something like that," said Karl. He then let out a surprise yelp as Dr. Orange threw her chair at him.

* * *

"It's weak against Hamon attacks!" said Kaylee to Harriet, "keep it distracted and I'll destroy the rest of the arms!"

"No, Kaylee!" said a waterlogged Jill as she stood on the deck, while Evie, Jane and Aurora looked after the unconscious Andrew. Her body shining with Hamon, Jill walked towards Deep Terror.

The metal squid lashed out with its other longer tentacle, yet Jill caught it with one glowing hand, stopping it in her grip as she channeled Hamon into it. The arm sparked as it overloaded and exploded.

"I am tired of Shadowcast ruining innocent lives!" said Jill as she got closer to the metal monstrosity, dodging its remaining arms at it tried to grab her, "I am sick to death of my friends and family getting hurt because of Shadowcast's evil!"

Breathing deep and channeling more Hamon, Jill rushed at Deep Terror.

"My heart beats with a righteous fire hotter than the sun! My Pulse Is Sharper Than Razors!"

Reaching the main body, Jill delivered a lightning-fast barrage of Hamon-charged punches, "Take This: SUNLIGHT YELLOW OVERDRIVE!"

With each punch, Deep Terror thrashed about as its systems went out of control. With one final deep breath, Jill inflicted a punch with so much power, it knocked the metal squid off The Gray Phantom and into the ocean. Seconds later the water erupted in an explosion so violent, the shock nearly capsized the sub.

"Well, that was…impressive," said a nearly speechless Harriet as The Gray Phantom righted itself.

"Yes," said a breathless Jill as she recovered from her exertion, "yes it was."

* * *

 **…The Falcon's Nest…**

"NO!" bellowed Dr. Orange as she picked up and threw her equipment about the room, forcing the von Karstein boys to beat a hasty retreat.

"She seems a trifle irked," said Gustav as he and his brothers made it out the door.

"Ya' think!?" exclaimed both Wilhelm and Frederic. The twins and their brothers then heard laughter from up the hallway, laughter that came from Adriane.

"Oh, did Edwina lose another of her toys?" Adriane asked mockingly, "It looks like Count von Karstein won't have his army of mecha after all."

"Well, I don't see you with your army of vampires," said Stefan.

"All in good time, Stefan," said Adriane, "your sister and your future wives will be back. I still have one card left to play. And assuming she survived Dr. Orange's incompetent attack, that card will play itself just about now."

* * *

"Okay, Mr. Owen, how bad is it?" Harriet asked.

"Bad, Skipper," said Owen, "that metal abomination really did a number on The Gray Phantom. Forgive me for sparing the details, but we're in real danger of foundering."

"You mean, the sub's gonna sink?" Evie asked.

"I thought you had contingencies!" said Jay, "like pumps and emergency oxygen tanks and stuff."

"I never anticipated we'd get torn asunder by a giant robotic squid!" snapped Owen. He then clamed down as he cleaned his glasses, "look, the pumps are slowing down the flooding, but like a certain famous, doomed ocean liner, The Gray Phantom will sink with mathematical certainty."

"Well, then," said Harriet in a strained yet manageable tone, as if she was barely holding onto her composure in the face of crushing defeat, "I guess there's no alternative but to give the order; abandon ship."

"Abandon ship with what?" Audrey asked, "we're out in the middle of the ocean with just a metal dingy for the whole crew!"

"We've got lifeboats for this sort of emergency," said an annoyed Owen, "don't take me for a fool, highness. Nemo may have planned to take his crew with him down for the last time, but this crew isn't suicidal."

"Yes, but what do we do then once we're afloat in the lifeboats?" Audrey asked, "do you have any navigation equipment? What about supplies? How long will the food and water rations last with my friends and I with you? And do your lifeboats have motors? Or are we gonna try and row to land and hope for the best?"

"We've got sails on the lifeboats," said Harriet, "and that friend with the Garuda spirit or whatever it is, he can harness the wind and blow us to land."

"Think again," said Jill, "Cal can't use his Stand anytime soon. Like Laura, using his Stand took a lot out of Cal, especially after the rescue he pulled off back in Transdoria."

"He didn't look tired," said Carlos.

"It didn't drain him physically, unlike Laura," said Jill, "and in case you were wondering, Andrew's still unconscious."

"So what do we do? Trust the wind to save us?" Jay asked.

It was then they noticed Laura standing nearby with a mischievous grin on her face, "I know something you guys don't."

"I'll bet you do," Jill replied in an annoyed tone, "Laura, we've all had a rough time and I'm in no mood for any nonsense."

"Oh, it's not nonsense," said Laura, "it's just that out of all of us," she held out her phone, "my phone's still working."

"It's true," said Kaylee, "my phone was busted in the battle with the squid mecha, so was Leon's and Cal's."

"And you got a signal all the way out here?" Ben asked. He then grabbed the phone.

"Hey! Rude much!" complained Laura, "who are you calling, anyway?"

"I'm doing the one thing I hoped I'd never have to do," said Ben as he dialed, "I'm calling my parents and asking them to pick us up."

"Lame!" said Laura.

"Oh, shut up!" said Mal. She then looked at Ben, "did you get through?"

"It's ringing," said Ben as he held the phone to his ear, "but I've only got two bars, I don't know how good a…hello? Mom?! Yes…yes, I'm fine…Mal's fine, everyone's fine. We rescued Evie, Audrey, Lonnie and Jane; they're fine, we're all fine, you can tell Queen Leah to stop yelling."

"My grandmother's making a royal fuss?" Audrey asked, "of course she's making a royal fuss, I am her favorite."

"When will we be home?" Ben asked to Belle over the phoneline, "well…we kinda have a problem here."

"Give me that," said Harriet as she grabbed the phone, "Hello? Dowager Queen Belle? This is Harriet Hook, master and commander of The Gray Phantom. Long story short, my crewmates and I built a sub out of Auradon trash, escaped The Isle of The Lost and rescued your son and comrades, and we're in danger of sinking out in the ocean. I'd be most appreciative if you or your husband or one of the other do-gooder heroes, princess or princesses would send a rescue party at your earliest convenience. Thank you," she then handed the phone back to Ben, "your mother wants a word with you."

"I'll bet," said Ben as he took the phone, "yes, mom, that was Harriet, daughter of Captain Hook…yes, he has two daughters, and Harriet's the nice one actually…yes…yes, I do have a lot of explaining to do when we get home, but first we need to get home, so can you send help? You can?! Oh, thank you so much…yes…yes I will explain everything later…yes, I'll send you the coordinates right now…yes…yes, I said I'd explain everything. I'm gonna text you the coordinates now, mom, okay…yes…yes I love you so much, I'll see you soon."

"I take it help is coming?" Jill asked.

"They're sending a coast guard cutter," said Ben as he got the coordinates from Claudine and texted them to Belle. He then looked at Harriet, "my mother says you and your crew are welcome in Auradon on a probationary status. As for The Gray Phantom, if we can keep her afloat until help comes, we might be able to tow her to a safe harbor."

"New Plan, Crew!" said Harriet to Sammy Smee and the other young pirates, "Ginny, Claudine, dump everything nonessential overboard! We need to make The Gray Phantom as light as possible to keep her afloat! We'll take turns in the lifeboats if necessary. Mr. Owen, shutdown the reactor before something else goes wrong; the last thing we need is for the ship to blow up at in our hour of dire need. Mr. Anthony! You, Mr. Clay and Mr. Geoffrey are to find and plug as many leaks as possible! And Mr. Owen? When you're finished shutting down the reactor, work your magic on the pumps! We must get ahead of the flooding! Well? You all heard your orders, so do them! Is That Understood!?"

"AYE, SKIPPER!" shouted the assembled young pirates. With that they hurried about their duties to save their ship.

"What do you want us to do?" Mal asked.

"Whatever you can to keep The Gray Phantom alive," said Harriet as Ginny, Claudine and their group began carrying up nonessential items and equipment to the deck, "help dump excess weight overboard, patch leaks, bail water with your bare hands if you have to."

"I never thought I'd take orders from a pirate, but okay," said Chad, "whatever you say, Captain."

"'Skipper,'" said Harriet, "remember, I'm trying to separate myself from my father's unscrupulous and rather unsavory legacy."

"But you'll always be the Captain in my eye, Captain," said Sammy Smee.

"I know, Mr. Smee," said Harriet as she smiled at her subordinate, "and thank you."

Just then Ginny hurried back inside with a anxious look on her face, "uh…Skipper? We…we have a problem?"

"Neptune's nipples! What now?!" Harriet exclaimed.

Mal then realized someone was missing, "Where's Evie?" at which Doug looked around apprehensively.

"That's…part of the problem," said Ginny nervously as she pointed up, indicating the deck outside.

Harriet, Mal and the others hurried up the main hatch, where they found Claudine, Anthony and several other pirates at the stern near the launch, armed with their makeshift firearms, facing off against Fen. Attempting to free the launch of its housing was C.J., while on the deck was Zevon, holding a knife to the throat of a terrified Evie.

"Just take it easy, Fen!" said Claudine, "we don't want any collateral damage."

"The collateral that'll be damaged is this spoiled princess here if I don't get what I want!" snapped Fen. To emphasize the point, Zevon gripped Evie tighter, earning a gasp of terror from her.

Fen then saw Harriet and Mal, "oh, there you are, my former captain. I've a proposition to make."

 _ **…To Be Continued**_


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Just take it easy, Fen!" said Claudine, "we don't want any collateral damage."

"The collateral that'll be damaged is this spoiled princess here if I don't get what I want!" snapped Fen. To emphasize the point, Zevon gripped Evie tighter, earning a gasp of terror from her.

Fen then saw Harriet and Mal, "oh, there you are, my former captain. I've a proposition to make."

"LET HER GO!" shouted Mal as she started towards Fen, her eyes blazing green and small jets of purple smoke wafting around her, "You Let My Friend Go, Or So Help Me, I'll…"

"You'll do what, Mal?" Zevon asked, "have a staring contest? You try any mischievous miscellaneousness and your bestie goes bye-bye!"

Doug cried out in outrage and tried to rush Zevon, yet was held back by Carlos, Jay and Lonnie.

"We should have thrown you back to the sea when we had the chance," said an irate Harriet.

"Alasian, how unfortunious for you," said Zevon.

"Will you stop making up stupid words!?" snapped C.J. as she fumbled with the launch catches, "I'm like trying to get this dingy thingy loose already!"

"They're not all that difficult," said Fen, "you're just inept," she then glared at Harriet and Mal, both trembling with rage but the former in more control, "as I was saying, I have a proposition to make."

"It'd better be a convincing one, Fen," said Harriet, "least I kill you out of spite."

"Oh, you'll find this a very convincing argument, Harriet," said Fen, "you see, while you and the others were battling that mechanical monstrosity, I was busy planting more bombs throughout The Gray Phantom. Okay, they were more like grenades from the ship's armory and I only had time to plant three, but I rigged them to explode in a few minutes."

Fen then held up a walky-talky, "you let me and my new mates go in the ship's launch, I'll signal to you where the grenades are once we're out of bullet range."

"No freaking way!" shouted Claudine, "no way we're letting you go, you traitor!"

"As if you have a choice," said Fen, "I'd say the first grenade will explode in five minutes, so you'd better let my mates and I get under way, 'Skipper.' Oh, before I forget, I'm taking my hostage with me."

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Mal.

"Oh yes," said Fen, "I'm taking Princess Evie back to Transdoria. Oh, I almost forgot; you're coming with me too, Lady Mal, and Lady Jane, Lady Lonnie, Princess Audrey and that bloodsucking freak too. I think that's everything," she looked at Zevon, "is that everything?"

"Yes, it is," said Zevon, "I have a few reasonilization requestors of my own; everyone's Jewels."

"You're seriously gonna try using our Jewels for evil again?" Evie asked, "you're crazy and stupid!"

"Then why do I have a knife to your somewhat swan-like throat?" Zevon asked, "you didn't take that factionet into accountiation."

At that C. J. let out a frustrated growl and threw a wrench at Zevon. He ducked and took Evie with her, earning a cry of pain and fright as her throat was slightly cut.

"If you use one more made up word, Zevon," said an outraged C.J., "just one more, I'm, like, gonna totally waste you!"

"You and what armination?!" Zevon asked as he pointed the knife at C.J.

"Stop it, both of you!" shouted Fen, "not when we're so close to getting out of here!" she then looked at Harriet, "so, Harriet, what's it gonna be?"

"I'll do it," said Elisabeth as she approached the stern of the sub, with Audrey right behind her, "I'll go with you back to Transdoria."

"No, Cassandra! No!" said Audrey, "no one's going back to Transdoria! Especially not you, your father will tear you apart!"

"It's either that or we all sink," said Elisabeth, "I can probably hold my breath and swim longer than you guys can, but I won't let you all risk drowning, not when I can help it."

"Finally! Someone reasonable!" said Fen, "get in the launch, we'll go as soon as C.J. grows enough brain cell to shove off, that and the other fugitive brides get here too that is."

"No, you're getting just me," said Elisabeth, "I'm what my father really wants; the ultimate weapon."

"Uh no," said Fen, "my superior says Count von Karstein wants you and the brides," said Fen.

"Your superior wouldn't happen to be called Adriane, would she?" Elisabeth asked, "well, I'm what she wants and I'm all she's getting, same for my father. So, either you get me or we all risk drowning."

Mal was about to say something, when she noticed Audrey trying to get her attention with a barely noticeable head nod. In an instant, Mal had a pretty good idea what was going on; Elisabeth was going to take out Fen, C.J. and Zevon as soon as Evie was safe.

"Ugh! We're wasting chronologization!" said an irate Zevon as he grabbed Evie tighter and pressed the knife to her throat again, cutting her slightly again.

For the third time in twenty-four hours, Evie's life flashed before her eyes. But unlike the previous two occasions where she was convinced she was about to die, something snapped within Evie, something that made her inner mind cry out 'NO MORE!'

A transparent mannequin with highly articulated joints appeared next to Evie and touched Zevon. In a flash, the mannequin donned clothes identical to Zevon and spouted a wig matching his hairstyle. It then matched its body position to that of Zevon holding Evie.

"Let me go, Zevon!" said Evie through gritted teeth. The mannequin then mimed dropping a knife and releasing Evie.

"Hey! What the!?" exclaimed Zevon as he dropped his knife and released Evie.

"You idiot!" shouted Fen, "why'd you do that?!"

"I didn't!" said Zevon, "something made me!"

"Evie," said an astonished Mal as she saw her best friend glare hatefully at Zevon, while the transparent mannequin mimed throwing a punch.

To Zevon's shock and horror, he punched Fen in the face, knocking her to the deck.

"Okay, now I, like, know you're crazy," said a confused C.J., just as the transparent mannequin mimed kicking something. Zevon then kicked C.J. in the torso, knocking her to the deck.

"What…what's happening to me!?" shouted a horrified Zevon as the transparent mannequin mimed picking up something heavy with one arm, then picked up something heavy with the other. Zevon then picked up the unconscious Fen and the stunned C.J.

"You want off this submarine?!" exclaimed Evie as the mannequin mimed walking to the deck edge, which Zevon matched, "Fine with me!" At that the mannequin mimed jumping.

"NOOOOOO!" wailed Zevon as he jumped overboard with his unwanted charges.

The transparent mannequin vanished as Evie sighed with exhaustion and nearly fell overboard herself. Mal and Ben caught her just in time and helped towards the main hatch.

"Find those grenades!" exclaimed Harriet, "Find them before our troubles get worse!" she then looked at Evie, "you just had to send the traitor overboard before she could tell us where the explosives were."

"Yeah, not one of your best moments, Evie," said Doug as he took Evie from Ben and Mal, "but it was really cool what you did."

"What?" a slightly disoriented Evie asked, "what did I do?"

"You've got a Stand, that's what!" said Carlos, "you're a Stand User!"

"She's a what now?" Andrew asked with his head bandaged as he came abovedeck with three grenades with makeshift timers, "I found one of these in one of the showerheads, so I checked the other showers and found two more." He then tossed the explosives into the water, "my head really hurts, so I hope you don't mind letting the sea take care of them."

"Not at all," said Harriet, "let's just hope we can avoid further complications before we're rescued."

"You missed quite a show, Andrew," said Saul, "young Princess Evie, she's one of us."

"A Stand User?" Andrew asked as he looked at Evie, then frowned with frustration and pain, "I'm sorry, my head hurts too much to care. I'm gonna go lie down again; wake me when we're rescued."

"Typical," said Jill as Andrew went below decks, just as three gouts of water from the exploding grenades shot out away from the sub, "my husband, can't live with him, can't burry him in the desert somewhere."

* * *

It wasn't long before the coast guard cutter arrived and took The Gray Phantom in tow back to Auradon, much to the emphatic relief of our heroes and allies. A few hours later saw Mal and the others back in Auradonian waters.

"I never realized how much I missed that acursed Isle," said Harriet as the cutter passed The Isle of The Lost on its way to docking in Auradon City, "not enough to want to go back, mind you. I'm just glad to see a familiar sight." She then glared at Ben, "remember our deal, King Benjamin; as soon as The Gray Phantom is seaworthy again, my crew and I are gone."

"I haven't forgotten," said Ben, "I just hope you haven't forgotten my offer to stay with us."

"I haven't," said Harriet, "and again, no thank you. The sea is where we belong, now and forever."

"Well, you're always welcome to put into port here whenever you feel like stretching your legs," said Ben.

Not too long later the cutter docked at Auradon City Harbor. As soon as our heroes were back on dry land, the media swarmed them. Seriously, a literal swarm of reporters and camera wielders attacked them, led by Snow White herself.

"King Ben! Lady Mal!" cried The Fairest of them All above the other reporters, "Can I get a quote on your harrowing rescue expedition!? Lady Jane! Princess Evie! Lady Lonnie! Princess Audrey! Any comment on your kidnapping!?"

"For goodness sake, Snow!" exclaimed Belle as she and Beast managed to shove their way through the media throngs, "give them a chance to breathe!"

"No, I won't give them a chance, Belle!" said Snow White as she covered her microphone with one hand and held her other hand in front of her cameraperson's lens, "This is the story of a lifetime and I'm gonna get it even if it kills me! Princess Aurora! Prince Phillip! Lady Mulan! Any comment?! And do my eyes deceive me but is that the other daughter of Captain Hook with you!?"

"No comment!" said both Phillip and Aurora.

"Oh," said a somewhat disappointed Snow White. She then smiled as she saw Jill helping Andrew off the cutter onto the dock, "do my eyes deceive me, or is that Andrew and Jill from Joy Division Circus!"

"I'm sorry, but all questions must be directed to Joy Division's public relationship manager who's also our road manager," said Jill, "and he is in no condition to speak with the press at this moment. If you have further questions, dial information, thank you very much and have a good day."

Just then everyone winced as an airhorn sounded. The crowd of reporters parted as Ella rushed in, laughing and crying as she embraced Chad.

"Oh, my sweet boy!" cried Ella, "oh my sweet, brave baby boy! You rescued your beloved Audrey! Now you two must get married! You absolutely must!"

"Uh…well…okay, mom," said Chad as he smiled with confusion in his eyes, "uh…do we have to get married now?"

"Only if I'm the maid of honor," said Elisabeth, "'there's no way I'm letting JoJo walk down the aisle without me to protect her."

"I'm not getting married today, Cassandra," said an annoyed Audrey. She then looked at Ella, "Princess Cinderella, with all due respect…"

"JOJO!" wailed Queen Leah as she rushed in and embraced Audrey, "oh, my darling granddaughter! Never again! I'll never let anything happen to you again!" She then grabbed Aurora and held her and Audrey in an extended hug, "and my precious baby girl! I'll never let anything happen to my girls again!"

"Nice to see you too, mother," said an embarrassed Aurora, "good to be home."

"Well, this is all nice and dandy," said Harriet, "but if you'll all excuse me, my crew and I have a submarine to repair and a voyage to resume."

"I don't think so!" said Commissioner Addlerson roughly pushed their way through the media throngs, "Harriet Hook, daughter of Captain James Hook, you and your crew are under arrest!"

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Harriet, Ben, Mal and the others as several police officers grabbed Harriet, Sammy Smee and the rest of the young pirates.

"Commissioner Addlerson! What is the meaning of this!?" exclaimed Ben.

"Isn't it obvious, your majesty?" Addlerson asked, "young Ms. Hook and her cohorts are fugitives from The Isle."

"That's 'Captain' Hook, you jerk!" snapped Sammy Smee as he and his crewmates were handcuffed.

"So, this is how you honor your word, Ben," said Harriet as she glared contemptuously at Ben, "my crew and I save your sorry hides and you clap us in irons. You're despicable!"

"I had nothing to do with this, I swear!" said Ben. He then looked at Addlerson, "release them at once! I order you to release Harriet and her crew!"

"I'm sorry, your majesty," said Addlerson, "but that is one command I cannot obey. If you'll observe a certain clause in Auradon's founding charter, you'll find that I, as police commissioner, have the authority to detain any and all escaped prisoners from The Isle of The Lost."

"It's true, son," said Beast, "it's a failsafe put in place when we founded the kingdom."

"My god, he's right," said Phillip, while Aurora and Mulan looked mortified at their lapse of memory, "I completely forgot."

"Well, that's just plain retarded!" exclaimed Jay.

"If you could bust anyone from The Isle, why didn't you arrest us?" Carlos asked.

"You lot were invited," said Addlerson, "you received official invitations that were processed through Auradon's bureaucracy system."

"No problem, I already invited them to visit Auradon!" said Ben, "I gave Harriet my word she and her crew could stay as long as they needed to repair their ship!"

"And they can visit anytime they want," said Mal.

"No good," said Addlerson, "unless all the paperwork is processed through the system, then the young pirates must be considered escaped Isle inmates."

"I gave my word of honor!" bellowed Ben as sparks of magic flew from him, "we shook hands on it! Are you saying that the word of a king is powerless before the state bureaucracy?!"

"In this situation, yes," said Addlerson.

At that more sparks of magic flew from Ben as he trembled with rage. He glared wrathfully at Addlerson as his eyes turned feral, signaling his impending beastly transformation.

"BIPPITY BOPPITY BO!" shouted Fairy Godmother with a wave of her wand. A beam of magic hit Ben and he immediately calmed down, almost passing out as he lost balance and collapsed against Mal, Belle and Beast.

"I'm sorry, your majesty," said Fairy Godmother, "I couldn't let you lose control like that. As much as it pains me to do so, I must agree with Commissioner Addlerson; he has the authority in this situation."

"I…I don't agree," said Ben as his strength returned with his composure and he stood up straight, "there must be something that can be done."

"There'd better be something," said Claudine, "because I'd rather die than go back to The Isle!"

"Same with me!" said Anthony, at which Ginny, Clay and the rest of the crew shouted in agreement.

"I most certainly will not go back!" said Geoffrey, "I am sworn service to Princess Evie! Where she goes, I go." He then flexed his muscles and broke his handcuffs, startling the surrounding police officers and reporters. Several of the cops drew their weapons and aimed at Geoffrey.

"NO! Don't shot him!" shouted Evie as she rushed over and stood in front of Geoffrey, shielding him from the impending bullets, "he hasn't done anything wrong!"

"Stand aside, my lady!" said Geoffrey boldly, "if to die for you honor is what is required of me, then so be it!"

"Wait a second," said Snow White, "are you…?"

"Yes, Princess Snow White," said Geoffrey, "my uncle was in service to The Evil Queen. He was ordered to murder you but refused. Now I am sworn to obey Princess Evie. If she were to order me to kill, I'll do so, but not without questioning first."

"I'd never order you to murder someone!" said Evie, "I'm not as spitefully jealous like my mother!"

"Nevertheless, my lady," said Geoffrey, "if you were to do so, I would gladly fight these men, though it surely would lead to my death. I'm good, but not bulletproof."

"No one is getting shot today," said Snow White. She then looked at Commissioner Addlerson, "I can vouch for this young man, he can stay in Auradon. His uncle helped me escape, so I owe him a debt of honor."

"I'm afraid it's impossible, Princess Snow White," said Addlerson, "like his crewmates, he left The Isle without permission, though how remains a mystery," he then glared at The Gray Phantom as it was towed to another dock, "but I'll bet that boat holds the answer. I'll have my forensic department here soon enough and we'll tear the answers out of it."

"NOOOOOOO!" wailed Owen as he struggled against a police officer's grip, "Don't you dare! You keep your filthy hands off The Gray Phantom, you damn, dirty pig!"

"That's right, you stay away from our ship, you pig!" shouted Ginny, at which the other young pirates also shouted their vehement displeasure with exclamations of 'PIGS!' and derivative 'OINKS!'

"My crew and I like to be as democratic as a pirate crew can be," said Harriet, "we speak with a unified voice. We'd rather die than go back to The Isle, and we'll fight to keep our ship safe." He then looked at the avidly waiting reporters, "so unless you want a bloodbath on these docks here, I suggest you let us go."

At that Addlerson sighed with annoyance, "I don't have the time to put up with the angst of a gang of wannabe pirate hooligans! Take the fugitives to a holding center! We'll ship them back to The Isle at the next tide!"

"No, you can't do this!" exclaimed Mal as Harriet and her crew were dragged away despite their energetic resistance and barnyard calls, "they helped us! We owe them! I owe them!"

"I gave them my word, Addlerson!" said Ben irately, "if you don't release them this instant, I'll bust you down to crossing guard before you can blink! You'll be helping children and elders cross streets for the rest of your natural life!"

"I'm afraid my position is determined by the voters, your majesty," said Addlerson, "the pirates are going back to The Isle and their vessel is to be taken apart for study."

"You so much as lay a molecule of a finger on The Gray Phantom and I'll reduce you to bacon atoms!" shouted Owen.

"And you'd better not touch any of our stuff, swine!" shouted Ginny. She then cried out in pain as one of the cops gripped her too tight in a rather intimate place, "You creep! I'll sue! Police Brutality! POLICE BRUTALITY!"

"Come see the violence inherit in the system! We're being repressed by porkchops in uniforms!" said Anthony to the assembled reporters and camerapersons, "Help! Help! We're being repressed!"

"Bloody pirates!" snapped one of the cops as he bashed Anthony hard on the head, not hard enough to knock him out, yet it left him with a sizable bruise.

"Ooh, what a giveaway!" shouted Anthony to the media, "Do you all see this?! Do you see what he did? This is what I'm on about! Do you see him repressing me? You saw it, didn't you?!"

"Ben, do something!" said Lonnie, "We can't let the cops do this to our friends!"

"I can't, I'm sorry," said Ben, "it's not like they can claim sanctuary or…"

"That's it!" said Doug as he smiled brightly. He then shouted to Harriet and her crew, "Claim Sanctuary!"

At that the cops stopped dragging at Harriet and the others.

"What did you say, young man?!" exclaimed Addlerson.

"Harriet and her mates can claim political sanctuary," said Doug, "they have the right."

"Yeah, sanctuary!" said Claudine, "it's how Quasimodo defied my dad."

"Didn't it almost get him and Esmerelda killed?" Clay asked.

"Well, it's the point of the whole thing," said Claudine.

"Exactly," said Doug as he walked up to Alderson, "there's another clause in Auradon's charter allowing extenuating circumstances for foreigners to request asylum or sanctuary."

"He's right," said a brightly smiling Phillip, "there is such a clause!"

"Is there?" Addlerson asked Fairy Godmother.

"Well, yes," said Fairy Godmother, "but only in extremely extenuating circumstances, such as in a time of war."

"I'd say Transdoria's actions count as acts of war," said Mal as she smiled knowingly at Ben, "right, your majesty?"

"Absolutely right, Lady Mal," said Ben. He then motioned to Snow White and the other reporters, whom then gathered around them with avid attention, "what Heinrich von Karstein and his sons did at the celebration ball was an utterly uncouth act of unprovoked aggression. More so, during the rescue operation, my friends and I learned of von Karstein's plans for Transdoria to conquer the world, starting with Auradon!"

At that Snow White and her fellow reporters gave a collective gasp of shock and horror. Ben cleared his throat and continued, "it's my sad duty to report to you all that, as of this moment, a state of war exists between Auradon and Transdoria. There is no doubt in my mind or the minds of my friends that Transdoria will inflict further acts of aggression on our beloved kingdom. But it is my firm belief that we will meet those acts with courage and determination. We will not bow down before von Karstein's tyranny! We will stand firm against his evil and triumph. On this you have my word as King; Auradon Will Sand! Auradon Will Fight! Auradon Will Win!"

At that Mal and the others began clapping and cheering loudly, to which the media joined in, along with most of the cops.

"Now," said Ben once the adoration died down, "my first wartime command is to order the immediate release of Captain Harriet Hook and her crew."

"You can't do that!" snapped Addlerson, "the charter…!"

"Can be suspended in times of war," said Doug, "not only can Harriet and her crew claim sanctuary, they can also be drafted."

"Drafted?" Clay asked, "what do you mean, drafted?"

"Drafted into Auradonian service," said Ben, "we're gonna need all the help we can get against Heinrich, so why not stay and fight with us, as privateers of course."

"Privateers?" Ginny asked, "what does that mean?"

"Basically, it means Ben gives us a piece of paper," said Owen, "saying we have permission to seek and destroy any ships flying Transdorian colors. We give Ben a percentage of whatever loot and booty we collect and we're free to come and go as we please."

"Well, that doesn't help us in the slightest!" said an irate Harriet, "Transdoria's a landlocked nation, and I sincerely doubt the underground river will remain open much longer, so I have grave doubt we'll be able to help."

"Not after we get The Gray Phantom shipshape again, Skipper," said Owen, "especially after the upgrades I just thought up," he then whispered something into Harriet's ear, something that made her smile with wicked delight.

"Oh, Mr. Owen," said Harriet happily, "if I weren't bound and shackled this moment, I'd give you such a snogging!"

"Then you accept?" Ben asked, "you'll fight for Auradon as privateers?"

"As privateers, yes," said Harriet, "we'll fight for you, so long as we get our share of the prize and our freedom when the war is over."

"There you have it," said Ben to Addlerson, "they're officially in the service of Auradon, so, would you kindly uncuff them?"

At that Addlerson looked ready to explode with fury, "this…this is…an outrage! How dare you manipulate the law to defy my authority!? You impudent young pup of a king! I'll…I'll…!?"

"You'll what?" Andrew asked as he walked up to Addlerson, "you'll strike your duly ordained monarch? I've been to places where you'd lose your head for less." He then stepped forward and glared at Addlerson with inquisitive eyes, "I've seen you somewhere before."

At that Addlerson blinked in surprise before responding coolly, "it wouldn't surprise me; I was a detective sergeant when you and your fellow carnies inflicted your manner of mayhem on Auradon City ten years ago. If my memory serves me correctly, I arrested you and yours for drunk driving."

"I wasn't drunk!" said Andrew irately. He then saw the looks Ben, Mal and the others gave him, "I swear, I wasn't. The others were drunk, I was the designated driver."

"And yet you rear-ended another car after nearly sideswiping another," said Addlerson.

"That guy came out of nowhere with his lights off!" snapped Andrew, "and this is beside the point! I know you from somewhere, before Joy Division visited Auradon City ten years ago."

At that Addlerson glared irately at Andrew, "Mr. Carpenter, the incident ten years ago was the first time I had ever laid eyes on you, and that one time was enough. Now if you'll excuse me, I've a tone of paperwork to process!" with that he signaled to the officers to release Harriet and the other young pirates.

"Ben, if you weren't with Mal, I'd snog you," said Ginny as she and the others rubbed their wrists.

"I'd snog him either way," said Anthony.

"I'm just glad to be free," said Owen, "but now's not the time for snogging."

"Indeed," said Harriet. She then walked up to Ben, "as much as I'd enjoy more of your company, your grace, I've a submarine to repair and a war to fight."

"We all do," said Ben, "there's bloody work ahead for all of us."

"Could we catch our breath first before we cry havoc again and let loose the dogs of war?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah, we can all use a breather," said Jay.

"And we'd better get indoors," said Audrey, "I don't want Cassandra out in the open any more than necessary."

"I'm alright," JoJo," said Elisabeth, though she sounded uncomfortable to be out in the sunlight, despite her makeshift cloak.

"We'll get back to Auradon Prep and crash for a while," said Mal.

"Mind if we tag along?" Beast asked, "I think you all owe us an explanation."

"And don't spare the details," said Belle. At that our heroes and allies headed to several nearby limos, leaving Harriet and her crew to begin repairs on The Gray Phantom.

"WAIT!" shouted Snow White to the retiring Ben, Mal and others, "I've nowhere near enough for my story!"

"Sorry, Snow," said Mulan though a limo window, "but you're just gonna have to get the news like the rest of us on TV." The limos then drove off, leaving a highly disgruntled Snow White alone on the docks.

* * *

 _…the open ocean…_

For some time after their unexpected ejection from The Gray Phantom, Fen and her co-conspirators desperately treaded water as the current carried them further and further from land. Though it made little difference to Fen, C.J. and Zevon as they had absolutely no idea where they were in relation to the nearest dry land.

Fortunately for the hapless trio, they came across a small rocky outcropping and welcomed a reprieve to catch their breath. On the other hand, their luck soon changed as the tide rose and threatened to sweep them back into the water with each strike of the waves. Their plight and efforts to stay alive restrained them from voicing their angst, yet now, as they clung to the rock for dear life, Zevon finally spoke…

"After careful, consideratious and intelligent ponderousness," said the son of Yzma, "that this is entirely your Faultline, Fen Seuton!"

"My fault!?" snapped Fen, whom had to wait as a wave once again drenched her and her unwanted comrades in peril, "how is this my fault?! If anyone's to blame, it's you!"

"Is that so?!" Zevon demanded, "and just how am I to blame for our currentous catastrophe? When it was your disastorific scheme that got us into this deplorablation in the first place!"

"I had everything under control until you screwed everything up!" Fen spat, "you let Evie go and hit me!"

"He like hit me too, you know!" said C.J., "and then he picked us up and like jumped into the water for like no reason!"

Another wave struck the rock, forcing our unlikely anti-heroes to hold on tightly.

"It wasn't my fault!" exclaimed Zevon, "it was Evie! She did something that compellated me to act against my will!"

"I don't believe you!" said Fen, "Evie doesn't have that kind of power."

"Well, she does now," said Zevon, "I don't know how she did it, but she did!"

"Oh, you like said a full sentence without using a made up word," said C.J. with mock approval, "care to like try two for two?"

"I'll two you, twerp!" snapped Zecon as he tried to push C.J, off the rock, only to stop as another, much larger wave crashed onto the rock, nearly sweeping all three out to sea.

"This is so stupid!" said Fen, "I don't know which is gonna kill us first; the ocean or ourselves! And you know what's the worst part?" she then reached into her mouth and, after a few seconds of tugging, pulled out a false tooth, "my emergency radio is busted. I can't even call for help!"

Another larger wave hit the rock and it was all the three could do to hold on. For a few seconds they were underwater, until the wave passed and they could breathe again.

"This is definitely it," said Fen, "we're done for."

"Oh don't be so negative," said C.J., "something will happen."

"Like what?" Fen asked.

"Like…I like don't know," said C.J., "but…"

"But nothing," said Fen, "this is it, we're gonna die."

But then out of the blue dove a VTOL craft that hovered above the rock and dropped three ropes from its side doors.

"You were saying?" Zevon asked as he and the girls were pulled up into the VTOL craft.

"Oh, my emergency, emergency transponder in my bellybutton," said Fen as she patted her stomach, "I forgot I had one."

"You have a…a whatever it is in your bellybutton," said C.J. as the crew of the VTOL craft pulled them into the cabin and handed them dry towels, "yeah right."

At that Adriane emerged from the cockpit, looking irately disappointed, "oh, she's got one, alright, whatever good it'll do her after I'm done with her."

"Ms. Adriane," said Fen nervously through chattering teeth that was due only partly to how cold she was, "you…you came all this way to save me?"

"I came all this way for my asset," said Adriane, "for Elisabeth von Karstein. You disappoint me, Fen. I gave you another chance and you blew it, big time."

"Are you gonna kill me?" Fen ased.

"I'd very much like to throw you back to the fishes," said Adriane, "but death's too good for you. No, you'll wish I'd let the sea have you soon enough."

Before Fen could react, a Shadowcast technician jabbed a syringe into her neck. Fen gasped in pain and shock, then collapsed to the floor of the cabin unconscious.

"What did you do to her?" Zevon asked, "and what, pray tellous, are you gonna do to me?"

"And me?" C.J. asked.

"For you, nothing, yet," said Adriane, "your experiences in Auradon may yet prove useful to my plans." She then nudged the unresponsive Fen with her shoe, "as for this sack of failure, she'll wake up in the labs of one of my more, shall we say, unorthodox colleagues. Even among Shadowcast, there's a few projects that go just a little too far."

Adriane returned to the cockpit and programed the auto navigation to return to The Falcon's Nest. "Now," said Adriane to herself as the VTOL craft resumed flight, "if I could just get Heinrich to give back The Stone Mask, and if I could figure out which of my 'friends' to try the mask on next, then things would be back on schedule."

* * *

 _…The Falcon's Nest…_

Uma sneezed suddenly with the feeling that someone was talking about her. It wouldn't surprise her that someone was talking about her behind her back, what with Adriane off to fetch Fen, Harry and Gill pestering Dr. Pomegranate for more drugs, while the von Karstein boys were healing from their wounds and wounded pride. As for Heinrich himself, the literal boss of Transdoria had locked himself in his private chambers and ordered that he not be disturbed for any reason under penalty of an excruciating death.

This left Uma alone in her assigned suite of rooms in the castle with nothing to do. Not that there wasn't anything to do at The Falcon's Nest; as a guest of Adriane, Uma had full run of the castle save for the clearly marked restricted areas. She could visit the castle's extensive library, visit a movie theater Stefan had put in for Claudette a few years ago, there was even a bowling alley.

She could even leave The Falcon's nest if she so wished. All Uma had to do was say the word and a VTOL craft would fly her down to one of the villages and she could go shopping with an advance on the money Adriane promised, or even use credit and have her purchases billed to one of Heinrich's many accountants, to be repaid from the money Adriane promised, of course.

But Uma didn't want that. In fact, at that moment, she didn't know what she wanted. With a huff, Uma walked to a one of the castle's balconies and looked out at the expansive view afforded from atop the escarpment.

The wind shifted, and Uma smelled a rather unpleasant and highly familiar odor. Looking to her right and saw, on the next balcony over, a man in his late 60's with graying black hair and wearing a Shadowcast labcoat. To Uma's displeasure, the man was smoking from a pipe, and Uma recognized the brand of tobacco in said pipe.

"Hey! You!" Uma shouted to the man, "what are you doing with Red Radiance?"

"Huh?" the man asked as he looked at Uma.

"That weed in your pipe!" said Uma, "why are you smoking that crud?"

"I beg your pardon, young lady!" said the man, "but what I do on my own time is my own business. If you have a problem with my smoking after a long session in the labs," he waved his arms around, "there's plenty of balconies in this place, I'm sure you'll find one upwind of mine."

"What? Oh, no, I don't mind," said Uma, "not the smoking, but do you have to use tobacco from Auradon?"

"You have a problem with Auradon?" the man asked.

"You're gosh darn right I do," said Uma.

"Hang on a second," said the man as he tapped his pipe out on the balcony railing, "I'll come over and we'll talk."

Two minutes later the man was on the same balcony as Uma and the two sat down on a pair of elaborately carved wooden lawn chairs. Upon closer inspection, Uma saw the man had several healed scars on his face and hands, while his left eye was made of glass. The tame on the labcoat tag read 'Dr. Passionfruit.'

"Now, young lady," said Dr. Passionfruit, "what's your beef with Auradon?"

"You got a pencil?" Uma asked.

"Several," said Dr. Passionfruit as he opened his labcoat slightly, revealing a small pencil box in an inside pocket, "I'm rather old fashion."

"Yeah, well," said Uma, "I don't like Auradon, period! Why do you smoke Auradon tobacco anyway?"

"I like it," said Dr. Passionfruit, "Red Radiance is the only brand from that place, and it's pretty rare, been so since those insufferable twits, Belle and Beast, decreed that smoking _is_ hazardous to your health when they first took the throne."

"Yeah, they and the other adults are insufferable jerks," said Uma, "if I had my way…"

"Your face seems familiar," said Dr. Passionfruit, "you wouldn't happen to be related to a certain Sea Witch, would you?"

"My mom, Ursula," said Uma with intrigued surprise, "you know her?"

"I did, long ago," said Dr. Passionfruit, "I knew Jaffar, Curella de Ville, Evil Queen, I even had a vicious rivalry with Maleficent."

"You went head to head with Maleficent and survived?" Uma asked.

"If she hadn't played dirty and pulled a rather uncouth trick and burned me with her dragon's fire, I'd be The Master of All Evil and this whole mess with Auradon and The Isle of The Lost would never have happened."

He then held out his hand and shook Uma's, "C. H. S. Erasmus, though there was a time I was called 'The Gray Warlock.'"

"Well, this is…incredible," said Uma, "but…Dr. Passionfruit, I mean…Mr. Erasmus…"

At that the scarred scientist shook his head, "please, call me Erasmus, just Erasmus. I hate the codename Shadowcast gave me. I tried to get another but once you reach the high level of Research Specialist, you're stuck with whatever codename they give you."

"But, what are you doing here?" Uma asked, "how'd you get from Maleficent's arch rival to…she waved her hand about, "to this?"

"Now, that's an epic tale if I ever heard one," said Erasmus, "a tale full of many trials and tribulations, which I won't bore you with the gritty details. To make a long story, I had to spend quite a long time in magical hibernation to heal my wounds, which isn't easy. I received a direct blast of Maleficent's dragons fire. If hadn't had my own personal defenses up, I'd been a large pile of ash and we wouldn't be having this conversation, now would we?

"Anyway, I had to hibernate for a long time to heal; almost three hundred years. I awoke twenty-two years ago and the world had moved on from what I remembered and was still moving on. Nations had rose, fell and rose again, and a new power was rising in my native land. A war between the forces of Good and Evil was brewing, with my arch rival leading the side of darkness no less."

"You where there when Belle, Beast and the others rounded up my mom and the other Villains?" Uma asked.

"I wouldn't say it was a roundup," said Erasmus, "your mother and the others, they put up a hell of a fight, a losing fight no less, but they didn't go quietly to their offshore banishment. I did what I could to help, even with my diminished powers."

Erasmus held out his hands, "three centuries ago I had magic the likes of which beyond your darkest nightmares. I commanded legions of monsters, demons and fell spirits. If I so wished, I could have burned the kingdoms that became Auradon to a crisp, and all with a snap of my fingers."

He sighed and sat back, "alas, my battle with Maleficent damaged my powers beyond repair. Now all I have left is my knowledge of the dark arts and mastery of potion brewing, which is how I wound up with Shadowcast; they needed an expert chemist."

"So they got you out of Auradon and left my mom and the others to rot on The Isle," said Uma, "what kind of creeps is Shadowcast made out of? Isn't there any honor among bad guys? What happened to professional courtesy?"

"Professional courtesy is a matter of opinion," said Erasmus as he fitted more tobacco into his pipe, "can you name one villain exiled to The Isle who was ever courteous to his or her fellows? Were you ever courteous to your fellows? Tell me, how often were you abusive to your subordinates?"

Uma was about to say she was never abusive to Harry, Gil or the rest of her crew, yet the words that came from her lips did not match her thoughts.

"Constantly," said Uma in a neutral tone, "I can't stand my crewmates. If I could, I'd get rid of Harry, Gill and the other idiots and strike out on my own."

Uma then blinked and shook her head, "wait, that's not what I meant!"

"I see," said Erasmus, "how about your mother? Do you feel anything for her?"

At that Uma's eyes went wide as she tried not to speak, yet words came from her throat against her will, "I'd be happiest if I never have to even think about that pathetic excuse of a sea witch ever again! In fact, if I could, I'd go back to The Isle and smother the old hag in her sleep, and I'd do it again if possible."

"Is that so," said Erasmus as he lit his pipe and took a few puffs, "yeah, I'd do the same thing if I had Ursula for a mother."

"What…what are you doing to me?" Uma asked, "you…you're making me tell the truth, aren't you!?"

"A simple yet powerful compulsion spell," said Erasmus after blowing out a ring of smoke, "it requires very little effort on the castor, yet the receiver has no choice but answer the question with utmost candor." He looked into Uma's eyes, "would you like to learn that spell?"

"Heck yeah!" said Uma eagerly.

"And would you like to learn other spells?" Erasmus asked, "I'm not talking about simple parlor tricks and amateur cantrips. I'm talking about real dark magic, real hellish mojo. I can teach you magics the like of which you've never dreamed of."

Uma then gave Erasmus a cautious look, "What's in it for you? Why offer me to teach your spells?"

"I'm not much long for this world," said Erasmus after taking another puff and blowing out a smoke ring, "time is catching up with me. I've a year, two if I'm lucky, before my organs fail." He looked at his pipe and let loose a derisive laugh, "I made a bet with myself to see which kills me first; kidney failure, congestive heart failure, atherosclerosis, lung cancer or some other kind of cancer."

He looked at Uma, "I consider it an insult to spend whatever time I have left stuck in a Shadowcast chemistry lab brewing up potions for some doomed-to-fail world domination scheme. I'd rather find an up and coming villain and teach him or her the tools of the trade, pass on my knowledge of the dark arts and give a few life lessons to help him or her avoid the mistakes of past Villains.

"But why me?" Uma asked, "why make me your disciple? Is it because you like me or I remind you of someone you used to know? Do I look like your high school crush or something?"

"No," said Erasmus, "and this isn't charity work. I expect to be fully compensated for my time and efforts."

"Oh, so it's payment you want," said Uma, "how much per lesson? Or do you want a down payment and the rest after school's out?"

"You can repay me by swearing an oath," said Erasmus, "swear by the blood in your veins that you'll take the lessons I give you and put them to proper use. Swear that you will do what I could not and bring down Maleficent."

At that Uma laughed cruelly. "Sorry to disappoint you, but Maleficent's out of commission. Last I heard, she's still in a glass tank in Mal's room back in Auradon."

"I know full well of what happened when Maleficent and her daughter clashed," said Erasmus, "but did you know that Mal is short for Maleficent? The young dragon girl, Maleficent's spawn, you will use your power to kill her. You will kill Young Maleficent and the other young Villains and claim dominance over the dark forces of our world, and then make the rest of the world yours."

At that Uma smiled and held out her hand, "Erasmus, you've got yourself a student."

"And you've got yourself a teacher," said Erasmus as he and Uma shook hands.

"Just one question, though," said Uma, "what about Heinrich?"

"Count von Karstein?" Erasmus asked, "we'll deal with him when the time comes, and he will be dealt with; the idea of him coming out on top sickens me."

* * *

Heinrich sneezed loudly in his private chambers. Unaware of a certain superstition, he resumed his brooding over the fiascos of the previous evening.

"How dare they?" he said to himself, "how dare those Auradon brats defy me? How dare that pup of a king invade my domain and disrupt my plans?"

He stood up and paced the room, "they'll pay, they'll all pay! They'll pay for preventing my son's from marrying their chosen brides! They'll pay for denying me of a new wife! And Elisabeth, my 'precious' daughter, she'll pay just as dearly!"

He then glared at his desk where The Stone Mask lay. "That…that thing," he said as he walked over and picked the mask up, "if Adriane hadn't insisted on using this thing, Elisabeth, she'd be out of my hair for good and I'd be a newlywed, enjoying my honeymoon and looking forward to new, more powerful sons and daughters!"

He walked to the window and opened it, "I ought to get rid of this wretched thing and forget Adriane ever showed it to me!" he reared back to throw the mask out over the escarpment to almost certain destruction.

Yet Heinrich relented and closed the window. He looked at the mask with growing curiosity, "then again, Adriane's theory of an invincible army of vampires, it's a thought." He walked over to a wall safe and placed the mask inside, "I'll just hold onto it for now, in case the others in Shadowcast prove disappointing."

* * *

 _…Auradon Prep…several hours later…_

Mal was startled from a dreamless sleep by a pounding on her door. After arriving back at Auradon Prep and enduring an impromptu welcome home celebration from her fellow students, not to mention the near constant pestering of questions from said students (and near maddening rambling from Dizzy), Mal and her friends were more than ready to pass out in their respective domiciles. Mal didn't even bother to change into pajamas after reaching her shared room with Evie. She just collapsed face first onto her bed and was asleep within seconds.

Yet the hours she spent unconscious gave her little restoration as she groggily regained her senses, all thanks to the irritating pounding on the door.

"Whoever's doing that has a death wish," muttered and equally groggy Evie.

"Mal?! Evie?!" shouted Doug on the other side of the door.

"You want to throw him out the window or can I?" Mal teased.

"No, it's alright," said Evie as she got up and unlocked the door.

"I'm sorry, you two," said Doug as he hurried into the room, "but you gotta get up and downstairs; Ben's called an emergency meeting and wants all of us there."

"Can't Ben wait a few more hours to talk about the war?" Mal asked as she lay back on her bed and covered her head with her pillow.

"That's what we all told him but Ben insisted," said Doug, "and he agreed, but this can't wait. I'm sorry, but we got to be there in…" he checked his watch, "in fifteen minutes."

"Alright," said Mal as she sat up again, "but if there's anything else after the meeting, too bad, 'cause I'm crashing for 40,000 winks."

Fifteen minutes later found Mal and Evie, hastily freshened up and changed, in one of the larger classrooms converted into a conference chamber. Not only was Ben, Jay, Carlos and the others from the rescue mission there, also present was Belle, Beast, Ella, Kit and most of the major Princesses, Princes, Heroes and Heroines of Auradon.

"Wow, when Ben calls a meeting, he calls a meeting," said Evie as she and Mal sat next to their respective paramours.

"I would have waited, but I really didn't have a choice," said Ben, "someone just had to enact a special privilege granted in Auradon's charter."

"As much as I love my grandma," said Audrey, "she couldn't have waited a few more hours?"

"Your grandmother called the meeting?" Mal asked as she eyed Queen Leah.

"She said it was a matter of life and death," said Audrey, "but I think I know what she really wants to talk about."

Mal realized someone was missing, "Where's Elisabeth?"

"Holding up in one of the guest dorms," said Audrey, "it's still day outside and she refuses to go anywhere near daylight. It's alright, I made sure she had fresh cow and pig blood brought from the best butcher shops in the kingdoms."

"I hope she's alright," said Lonnie, "the last thing we need is for her to get thirsty and go on a feeding frenzy."

"No, she's fine," said Audrey, "a little overwhelmed by her new surroundings, but she's alright."

"Well, that's good and all," said Jay, "but what's the holdup here? Why are we just sitting around and not talking?"

"We're waiting for Jane, FG and the representative from Atlanticia," said Ben, "she should be here soon."

"In that case," said Jill, "I believe we should talk a bit in private, concerning young Evie's newly found gift."

"That's right, she's a Stand User now!" said Doug eagerly.

"It's really not that big a deal," said Evie modestly, "I honestly don't know how I did…whatever I did to Zevon, or if I can do it again either."

"Oh, you can do it again, and so much more," said Jill, "as a matter of fact, I believe I've figured out some preliminary statistics for your Stand, including a name."

"But you use Hamon," said Carlos.

"And that doesn't give me the right to know how to estimate Stant Stats?" Jill asked, "who do you think came up with most of the Stand names for Joy Division's Stand Users?"

She then smiled and looked at Evie, "as for you, considering your natural talent for _haute couture_ , I believe the name best suitable for your Stand is 'Passion for Fashion.'"

 **Stand Name: Passion for Fashion**

 **User: Evie**

 **Power: C**

 **Speed: D**

 **Range: E**

 **Durability: C**

 **Precision: B**

 **Development: A**

"Hey, wait a second," said Doug, "how come Evie's stats are so much lower than Chad's?"

"What are you talking about?" Chad asked.

"You got your Stand pretty much the same day or night Evie did," said Doug, "yet your stats are higher than hers." He looked at Saul, "don't you remember what you said about Chad's Stand?"

 **Stand Name: Narcissus' Mirror**

 **Stand User: Chad**

 **Power: C**

 **Speed: D**

 **Range: D**

 **Durability: B**

 **Precision: C**

 **Development: B**

"Yeah, I remember," said Saul, "and her stats aren't that different than his."

"No, they're different!" said Doug.

"How?" Chad asked, "just how is my Stand different from Evie's? Though I certainly don't mind my Stand being much stronger than hers. I mean, come on, a mirror vs a mannequin? Mirror wins, end of discussion."

"I thought we agreed your Stand was a reflective shield," said Saul, "whereas Princess Evie, her Stand can briefly enforce her will on a desired victim. And the difference in statistics, while you have a definitive advantage in Range and Durability, her Stand has the edge in Precision and Development."

"That's right!" said Evie, "my Stand has more room to grow than yours, Chad, so there!" she then stuck out her tongue at Chad to emphasize her point.

"Yeah, well," said Chad, "I'd like to see you use your Stand on me! Yeah, I bet I can bounce whatever controlling mojo you use right back at you! I'll bet I can even take control of you for a while!"

"Oh yeah?!" said Evie daringly, "well, we'll just see about that!" Screwing her face up with penetrating concentration, Evie's mannequin-like Stand appeared next to her.

"Bring it on, gold digger!" said Chad as he concentrated so hard, his face turned red. It had the desired effect as his mirror-like shield of a Stand appeared in front of him.

"NO-NO-NO-NO-NO!" exclaimed Laura as she rushed between the two young brawlers, "put those away right now!"

"No, he started it!" said Evie, "I'm gonna make Chad eat his words!"

"I'll make you eat my words!" said Chad.

"STOP IT!" shouted Laura, "Stop it right now!"

"She's right, you shouldn't fight," said Cal, "the last thing we all need is a Stand on Stand battle royal, and believe me, that kind of fight gets real ugly real fast."

"But…he…" said Evie, while at the same time Chad said, "…but she…"

"I don't care who started it, it ends now," said Jill.

"Why should we stop?" Chad asked, "you're not the boss of us!"

"But I am," said Ben, "so stop it, please, before I get mad enough to order you to stop."

"For you, Ben, I'll stop," said Evie as she relaxed her concentration and Passion of Fashion vanished back into her.

"Okay, I'll stop too," said Chad as Narcissus' Mirror returned to his subconscious mind, "I'll stop because we're friends, but only because we're friends." With that he walked back towards his parents.

"I have a nagging feeling he could be trouble someday," said Kaylee.

"Maybe," said Andrew, "but I'm more concerned at how fast he's able to consciously summon his Stand," he then looked at Evie, "and you too; the two of you only just got your Stands and you can summon them at will. It took me months before I had full control over Big Bang Theory."

Further discussion on Stands was put aside with the arrival of Fairy Godmother and Jane, with the latter's left hand heavily bandaged and in a sling, while a look of blissful distraction adorned her face

"Sorry we're late, everyone," said Fairy Godmother, "we had to stop at the doctor's."

"Are you alright, Jane," Mal asked, "your hand…"

"I'll be fine," said a slightly disoriented Jane, "the doctors, they gave me these wonderful pills for my hand." She then nearly tripped over her own feet, "sorry, I'm a little loopy now, so if I make a fool of myself, I apologize in advance."

"Those must be some serious pain killers," said Mulan.

"Well, the doctors wouldn't have given them to her if she didn't need them," said Ella.

"She can't be in so much pain as to need to be doped up like that," said Phillip.

"You'd need them if you were hurt like Jane was," said Lonnie.

"Well, I don't think potentially hooking one's own flesh and blood on addictive medication is the way to go," said Jill, "not when there's an alternative available."

"Are you suggesting homeopathic medicine?" Fairy Godmother asked, "no thank you! I'd rather not expose my daughter to such nonsense. No, I'll let proven medical science do the healing."

"I'm referring to your wand, madam," said Jill, "I admit that magic isn't my forte, but surely you must know one or two healing spells that would have eased Jane's suffering in a matter of seconds, rather than forcing her to endure a lengthy recovery period."

At that Fairy Godmother flushed with irritation, "I…yes, I could have used my wand, but I choose not to. Magic isn't the answer to everything."

"And yet you so willingly blasted your own sovereign with a calming spell this very day," said Jill, "far from me to call you a charlatan, but…"

"I beg your pardon!?" exclaimed Fairy Godmother, "how dare you call me a charlatan! I use my magic when there's no other choice! I had to calm down King Ben before he hurt someone!"

"And his friends and loved ones couldn't have done that just as well?" Jill asked, "wouldn't his true love," she looked at Mal, "who is perfectly capable of soothing his inner beast, whom did so at the fiasco of a ball not too long ago, kept him from losing control on the docks?"

For a moment, Fairy Godmother looked ready to chew iron and spit out nails. But she regained her composure and calmly yet firmly spoke, "I don't have to justify my actions to you, nor do I have to justify Auradon's policy of non-magic. You are a guest in this kingdom and are subject to its laws and traditions. If you cannot abide by those laws and traditions, then you and your people are free to leave."

"All I'm saying is that if I were in your shoes," said Jill, "I'd do everything in my power to ease my child's suffering."

"Suffering? Who's suffering?" a tipsy Jane asked as she slumped into a chair, to which Carlos hurried over and helped her from falling to the floor, "I'm having the time of my life, how are you all?"

"Yes, well," said a slightly flustered Fairy Godmother, "having power and using it are completely different things."

"Now's the worst time to talk about policies of state," said Ben, "not when there's a raving madman at our doorstep. Is everyone here?"

"We are now," said Melody, daughter of Ariel and Eric as she entered the room, "I just swam in from Atlantica and boy is my tail tired!"

This earned a mild laughter from the assembled heroes, princesses, princes and others.

"Lovely to see you, Melody," said Aurora as she hugged the granddaughter of King Triton, "how are your parents?"

"Sorry not to be here," said Melody, "as is my grandfather, but I'm here with full authority to speak for Atlantica. So, what's the situation?"

"Serious," said Ben as he and the assembled Auradonian representatives sat down. He first asked Audrey, Jane, Lonnie and Evie to testify on their abduction and imprisonment in The Falcon's Nest and what they saw there, specifically what they saw in the Shadowcast laboratories.

"Then it's true," said a horrified Ella, "Edwina Xandrand is alive and making more Metal Gear weapons."

"What we faced in the woods and underwater were her attempts to surpass Metal Gear," said Andrew, "though I have to take away points for her lack of originality. I mean, come on, copying NM-E from Ultraforce?"

"I doubt the originality of a mad scientist is one of our greater concerns," said Ben, "I was there when that mecha attacked us."

"We were there too!" said Carlos, "if that crazy lady makes more like them, then…"

"Then we don't stand a whelk's chance in a supernova," said Beast.

"What does a whelk have to do with a supernova?" Belle asked.

"It doesn't stand a chance in one," said Beast.

"Combat mecha aren't the only weapons Shadowcast is making for von Karstein," said Laura, "super soldiers and mutants, for example."

"That's right! You told us of Transdoria's military programs," said Lonnie, "how if you didn't work, you got drafted, and if you got drafted, they did terrible things to you."

"And those drugs Uma and her gang were taking," said Mal, "I'll bet Shadowcast supplied them."

"The point is Auradon is in serious trouble," said Andrew, "Transdoria is way ahead of you in terms of military development. If Heinrich were to invade now, even without the weapons he so desires from Shadowcast, I'm afraid your people wouldn't last long."

"I beg to differ!" said Kit as he stood up proudly, "the people of this land would last! We'd hold out and fight back to the bitter end!"

"With what?" Ben asked, "yes, our people have the spirit to fight, but you can't stop an invading army with spirit alone, not against tanks, bombs and machineguns."

"We do have one thing Heinrich and Transdoria lack," said Doug, "magic."

"No!" shouted Fairy Godmother as she stood up, "absolutely not! We won't use magic to fight a war! Only Villains use the mystic arts in such terrible ways!"

"Oh come on, FG!" said Jay as he stood up, "you'd rather have Heinrich walk all over us and have his way with everyone and everything in Auradon?"

"I'd rather not resort to using magic to kill," said Fairy Godmother, "once you start down such a path, there's no return, such as your father and his fellows on The Isle know."

"Well, to do nothing is just as evil as outright murder," said Mal as she stood up, "everyone here knows I'm trying my best to get on without magic, but if my powers can help keep Auradon safe from Heinrich's evil, to stop Shadowcast evil from infecting the kingdom, then I'll fight with everything I got. And if I start going dark from using my magic, then I know in my heart my friends will pull me back to the light."

"Yes, yes, well spoken," said Queen Leah as she stood up, "your mother spoke with equal elegance when she so rudely intruded on my daughter's christening."

"Mother, that has nothing to do with this," said an annoyed Aurora, "Mal isn't Maleficent."

"I know, Aurora," said Queen Leah, "but I agree with Fairy Godmother, that we shouldn't rely on magic to save us."

"But we should keep that iron in the fire, as a last resort," said Ben.

"I won't argue with that," said Queen Leah, "but if I may change the subject for a moment, to the real reason I asked for this meeting."

"I figured we'd come to that eventually," said Aurora, "so, Mother, what's gotten you so bothered?"

"It's quite simple," said Queen Leah, "and not so simple. While we're all so worried about the threat beyond Auradon's borders, we neglected the more pressing threat within, the threat my daughter and granddaughter so recklessly brought back with them from Transdoria."

"What threat, grandmother?" Audrey asked.

"I'm talking about that soulless abomination you befriended, child!" said Queen Leah irately, "that bloodsucking freak!"

"What?!" asked Audrey, "Cassandra? She's not a threat, she wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"Technically, she would," said a slightly uncomfortable Lonnie.

"We all saw what Elisabeth is capable of, Audrey," said Phillip, "she killed and drank human blood."

"They would have killed us!" said Audrey, "Cassandra helped us escape!"

"Audrey, I know you care for Elisabeth," said Aurora, "but…"

"Yes, Elisabeth," said Queen Leah, "Elisabeth _von Karstein_ , the daughter of our enemy."

At that Audrey looked mad enough to spit, "Cassandra hates Heinrich and her brothers! She wants them dead so bad!"

"She can't be trusted, Audrey!" snapped Queen Leah, "no matter what you think, Elisabeth is a von Karstein; Heinrich's blood pumps through her veins, that is, it would if her undead heart were capable of pumping blood."

"If I may, your grace," said Jill as she stood between Queen Leah and Audrey, "though I cannot speak for vampires as a whole, and while I do not know Elisabeth as well as Audrey does, I'm prepared to vouch for her sincerity."

"As do I," said Saul, "her hatred of the von Karstein's is a powerful weapon, one you'd be foolish to pass up."

"Yeah, you should see how strong she is!" said Carlos eagerly, "she can tear apart an invading army with one hand tied behind her back!"

"And in record time too," said Evie.

"But where does that power come from, I ask," said Queen Leah, "where does a vampire get its strength? From the innocent blood of the living, that's where!"

"No!" said Audrey, "Cassandra would never harm an innocent! I swear she wouldn't!"

"You'd stake your life on such a claim, granddaughter?" asked Queen Leah.

"Yes, yes I would, grandmother," said Audrey.

"Well, I'm afraid I cannot accept such a claim," said Queen Leah, "and I won't allow anyone else in Auradon to make such a risk either," she then looked at Ben apologetically, "I ask your forgiveness in advance for going over your head, your majesty, but before calling this meeting, I took the liberty of contacting a team of professional vampire hunters."

"You did what?!" exclaimed Audrey.

"They come highly recommended in other kingdoms," said Queen Leah, "well worth the price they charge, and they move rather quickly. They'll be here tonight and will have the abomination destroyed soon after."

"NOOOOOO!" shouted Audrey, "No, I won't let you!" she then shoved Queen Leah aside and dashed for the door.

"Audrey! Wait!" shouted Aurora as she, Phillip, Ben and Mal gave chase.

"What is she gonna do?" Carlos asked as he, Jay, Doug, Chad, Lonnie and the others hurried after.

"I don't know," said Jay, "but we'd better stop her before she gets stuck in a really sticky situation."

"As long as I don't have to clean it up," said Chad.

Jane then realized through her drugged haze that she was alone in the room, "huh? How long was I zonked out? Wow, these pills are the best."

* * *

Audrey hurried through the corridors of Auradon Prep for the guest quarters, hoping that Elisabeth was still there. She didn't have any plan other than warning her bosom companion that men were coming to destroy her. Anything beyond that was outside her thoughts; all Audrey cared about at that moment was keeping Elisabeth safe.

She burst into the guest rooms and, to her shock and despair, Elisabeth was nowhere to be seen. What was visible despite the gloominess of the room was scattered plates of food and splatters of animal blood on the floor and walls.

"Cassandra?!" Audrey shouted as she frantically searched the rooms for her friend, "Cassandra!?"

Yet as she tore through room after room, a horrid thought intruded on Audrey's mind, one she wished she never imagined, yet was too afraid to deny.

By sheer chance Jay, Carlos, Doug, Chad and Lonnie caught up with Audrey first, only for Audrey to run out of the rooms and down the hallway.

"Now what?" Carlos asked as they hurried out after her again.

"If what I think has happened has happened," said Doug, "then we're in even more trouble than we thought."

On and on Audrey ran through the school hallways, hoping against hope she'd find Elisabeth before it was too late.

But then she heard a girl screaming, and all of Audrey's hopes crashed and burned. Following the source of the scream, Audrey ran into an empty classroom and saw Elisabeth standing over a desk, a look of dark satisfaction on her face as her left-hand fingers, impaled in the neck of a struggling girl student, siphoned out said girl's blood.

"Ah…that's better," sighed Elisabeth as the girl's struggles slowed, her body beginning to desiccate from the drain of blood.

"ELISABETH!" screamed a horrified and outraged Audrey, just as Jay and his group burst into the room and were dumbstruck by the nightmarish scene before them.

"JoJo!" said a shocked Elisabeth as she pulled away from the student, a look of utmost shame on her face, as if she had only now realized what she had done, "I…it's not what it looks like."

"Well, it seems to me you're sucking the blood from one of my classmates," said Chad, "either that or I need glasses."

"Shut Up, Chad!" said Jay, Carlos, Doug and Lonnie.

 **…to be continued**


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Elisabeth sat alone in the guest quarters prepared for her in Auradon Prep, impatiently waiting the setting of the sun so she could go outside and walk around. The windows had been boarded up and covered with extra heavy curtains, yet Elisabeth could sense the sun as it crossed the sky towards the horizon. She found herself appreciating her new senses more and more, for she also could keep track of time without the aid of a clock.

As she discovered the benefits of her undeath joyful, she found the detriments rather unpleasant. Whereas before Elisabeth found herself indifferent to being trapped inside while the sun shone, now she realized that she wanted to go outside, even though the slightest touch of solar rays would harm her exponentially more. She realized to her disgust that she was developing cabin fever.

But her anxiety about being cooped up until sundown was just the tip of the iceberg. Elisabeth felt something else gnawing at her being all the way down to where her heart once pulsed; thirst. Every second that passed, Elisabeth's desire for blood increased, resulting in a thirst that was more psychological than physical. She wasn't merely dehydrated and required energy; she needed blood, she craved it, coveted it, desired it.

Elisabeth stood up and looked around her rooms, searching for something, anything, to take her mind off her thirst for blood. There were plenty of books to read and a flat screen television set on the wall with hundreds of channels for her to browse, but none of this interested her in the slightest. She went to a nearby table where a small but lavish feast lay for her. This would have enticed anyone of any pallet, but not Elisabeth. For her, the gourmet food and drink on the table were mere curiosities.

With her enhanced senses, Elisabeth could appreciate the scent, flavor and texture of foodstuffs far more than even the most cultured of critics. Yet the feast offered no sustenance to her. Yes, her senses would enjoy eating, but for Elisabeth, human food was now like a flower was to a human; pleasing but unappetizing.

Then Elisabeth saw something else on the table, something she knew Audrey had brought especially for her; a water jug full of animal blood. Audrey had promised that she would have 'the finest animal blood from the finest butcher shops in Auradon City' brought over for her to drink. Elisabeth appreciated the gesture from her first real friend, yet one sniff of the jug's contents almost made her retch in revulsion.

Perhaps it was the fact that the blood came from an animal, maybe a cow or a pig or a lamb, that made it so unappetizing to Elisabeth, or maybe it was that she had only taken sustenance from human blood and was unused to blood from other life forms. Whatever the reason, Elisabeth was grateful for Audrey's efforts, for she knew what Audrey had in mind all along; to find other sources of nourishment than human blood.

Yet human blood was what Elisabeth wanted and denying herself human blood was slowly driving her mad with desire. A war was raging within her; her newly awakened vampire instincts' need verses her will to hold onto her humanity. She had resolved back in The Falcon's Nest to drink only the blood of the wicked and protect the innocent, yet here she was, in Auradon, the one nation in the whole world where evil was all but nonexistent.

"I may be a monster, but I refuse to be a monster," Elisabeth said to herself as she uncorked the jug full of animal blood. Instantly, the scent of its contents hit her like a punch to the nose and made her stomach roil.

"I won't be a monster," she said in an unsteady tone as she picked up the jug and tipped it to her lips, "I won't! I won't!" a few drops of animal blood touched her tongue and she cried out in revulsion. Spitting furiously, she threw the jug against the wall where it shattered, splashing animal blood across the wall and floor. With another screech of disgust, she overturned the table and dispersed food across the room.

As she stood there surrounded by the mess of her making, Elisabeth panted with frustration, furious at her situation and despairing at the thought that she would have to kill to satisfy her own desires. But then a thought occurred to her, that she didn't necessarily had to kill in order to quench her thirst.

"Who says I have to kill anyone?" Elisabeth said aloud, "who says I have to completely drain someone of blood? And furthermore," she looked at her right hand, seeing her nails sharpen into claws and small holes appear where her victim's blood would be siphoned into her body, "who says I have to turn anyone into a vampire?"

As if to further justify her future actions, Elisabeth sensed the setting of the sun. She chuckled to herself as she realized that her obsessing over her thirst had caused her to lose track of time for a while. Opening the thick curtains and heavy shutters, Elisabeth stood for a moment as the first stars illuminated the darkening sky.

"I may be a monster," said Elisabeth, "but I can choose how monstrous I can be. And now," she smiled wickedly, "I choose to get a drink."

She then walked out of her rooms and into the hallway, silently stalking through Auradon Prep's corridors in search of prey. Despite her raging thirst, Elisabeth remained in control, patiently and methodically questing for the perfect target.

It was all too easy for Elisabeth to remain undetected by the various students and teachers in the school. Whether she was naturally stealthy or had a power to remain unnoticed, she did not know. What was clear to Elisabeth was that if she was ever to quench her nagging thirst, the first step was to get her prey alone.

Elisabeth then found herself in the school library where several students were either hitting the books or just hanging out. Yet none of the students was alone, either in groups of two or three or more. Sighing silently in frustration Elisabeth headed for the exit, when she paused and stepped to the side at the sight of one student, a girl of about 15, pack up her books and walk out.

Elisabeth followed the girl into the hallway and, after listening for other encroaching footsteps and finding none, grabbed the girl, spun her around and clamped her left hand over the girl's mouth. Before the girl could let out a muffled scream, she found herself captivated by Elisabeth's violet eyes. The girl's eyes dilated as she fell helplessly into a trance.

"Follow me," said Elisabeth as she released the girl. She turned around and headed down the hallway with the hypnotized girl right behind. Elisabeth soon found an empty classroom, which she and her intended victim went into. "Sit down," Elisabeth ordered and the girl obeyed.

But then the hypnosis broke and the girl blinked in confusion at her new surroundings.

"Oh, I guess I can only keep them hypnotized for a few minutes," said Elisabeth, "oh well, I'll get better at it later. For now," her face then contorted into a horrific expression of vampiric lust and desire as she grabbed the girl again, whom now screamed and tried to get away. Elisabeth's grip was too strong and she waited a few seconds, finding perverse pleasure at her prey's fruitless attempt at escape.

"No more games," said Elisabeth as she raised her right hand to strike, "time to drink!" she plunged her sharpened fingers into the girl's neck, whom screamed again and writhed in agony as her life's blood was siphoned into Elisabeth.

"Ah…that's better," sighed a relived Elisabeth as her itching, burning torment alleviated, watching with more perverse pleasure as the girl's struggles slowed, her body beginning to desiccate from the drain of blood.

"ELISABETH!" screamed a horrified and outraged Audrey, just as Jay and his group burst into the room and were dumbstruck by the nightmarish scene before them.

"JoJo!" said a shocked Elisabeth as she pulled away from the student, a look of utmost shame on her face, as if she had only now realized what she had done, "I…it's not what it looks like." Yet she knew exactly what it looked like; she had attacked and fed on the blood of an innocent.

"Well, it seems to me you're sucking the blood from one of my classmates," said Chad, "either that or I need glasses."

"Shut Up, Chad!" said Jay, Carlos, Doug and Lonnie.

"Cassandra, how could you?" a distraught Audrey asked as tears of shame and disgust fell from her eyes

"I…it…I had no choice!" said Elisabeth as her own shame faded, replaced by self-righteous contempt for those who would judge her actions for survival, "I had to have human blood, not that nauseating animal filth you brought me!"

"And so you're killing one of my classmates, Cassandra!?" shouted Audrey as her own shame fell, replaced by anger at her friend's betrayal of trust, "look at her? She's barely alive!"

"I wasn't gonna take all her blood!" said Elisabeth, "she'll be fine! Look, she's not even turning into a vampire!"

"Oh yes she is!" said Jay as he and the others witnessed their classmate's skin paled further than what was explained by blood loss, while the girl's teeth and nails sharpened into fangs and claws.

"Good god, you're right," said Elisabeth as she realized the girl was transforming before her eyes, "well…I…I can fix this."

She looked around the classroom franticly for something. She then hurried over to the chalkboard and grabbed a wooden pointer and snapping it in half, "just a hard jab in a soft part of the skull and problem solved."

"What? No! NO!" exclaimed Audrey, "you're not killing her?!"

"It's either that or have another blood sucking freak running around and I already made two back at The Falcon's Nest!" said Elisabeth as she stood next to her victim, "I'm sorry, JoJo, but it's the only way. It's not like I can take it back."

Just then Fairy Godmother teleported into the room, her wand raised at the ready. With a shouted spell, she aimed her wand at Elisabeth, the tip of the wand producing a beam of intense sunlight that shone on the vampire.

Elisabeth cried out in agony as the sunlight hit her skin and set it ablaze. She fell to the floor and rolled around to put the fire out, then crawled over to the teacher's desk to shield herself from the burning illumination.

"NOOOO!" screamed Audrey as she tried to help Elisabeth, only to find herself restrained by Jay and Carlos.

"FG!" said an astonished Doug, "you're using magic again."

"Extreme times call for extreme measures," said Fairy Godmother as she moved towards the desk, intending to finish off Elisabeth before the vampiress had a chance to escape.

"No! Don't hurt her! Please!" Audrey wailed, "she didn't mean any harm!"

"Have you taken leave of your senses, child!?" an outraged Fairy Godmother asked, "that creature attacked and infected a fellow student with her inhuman sickness!" She the knelt beside the girl, whose undead transformation was accelerating, "look at her, I don't even know if my magic can help."

"I can help," said Jill as she and Andrew walked into the classroom, "at least I think I can. Hamon can heal all but the most grievous of wounds, and I've cured more than a few serious illnesses."

"This isn't a case of the common cold, Jill," said Andrew seriously, "you've never done anything like this before."

"There's always a first time for everything," said Jill as she knelt beside the vampirized girl, "wish me luck."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Fairy Godmother asked worriedly.

"Of course I know what I'm doing," said Jill incredulously, though Jay, Carlos and Doug would later claim they heard Jill mutter "I have no bloody idea what I'm doing."

Taking several deep, controlled breaths, her body shining with Hamon, Jill lay her hands on the suffering girl. For a few seconds nothing happened, yet before our heroes eyes, the girl began to glow as Hamon infused into her body. Her skin color slowly filled up and her veins resumed their normal shape and size; the fangs and claws retracted to regular teeth and nails. By the time Jill stood up and backed away, the girl was, aside from being unconscious, perfectly healthy.

Jill then let out an exhausted but satisfied sigh as she slumped into Andrew's arms, "and I'm spent."

"You did it!" said an astonished Fairy Godmother, "you saved her!"

"Yes I did," said Jill with drowsy smugness, "you can bill me in the morning."

"So it is possible to cure the curse of undeath," said Doug, "if so, then perhaps…"

"We can cure Cassandra," said a hopeful Audrey.

"You mean make her human again?" Jay asked.

"NOOOOOO!" bellowed Elisabeth as she got up, her face twisted with hellish rage as she picked up the desk and held it over her head, "I'll never go back! I'd rather burn in Hell than become that weak, pathetic waste of skin again!" she then threw the desk at Jill and Andrew.

On instinct, Big Bang Theory appeared next to Andrew and fired a psychic shell at the desk, blasting it into splinters before it hit him and Jill. But before Andrew could do anything else, Elisabeth rushed over, grabbed him by the neck and threw him out the window with a loud crash of shattering glass.

"I'll destroy her!" spat Elisabeth as she rounded on the weakened Jill, "I'll tear her apart before she even tries to make me mortal again! I'll…!"

That's as far as Elisabeth got before she whirled around and grabbed Fairy Godmother by the right forearm, just as she was about to cast another sunlight spell.

"Not this time!" said Elisabeth vindictively as, to Fairy Godmother's horror, her arm began to freeze. Within seconds, her arm from her elbow to hand, including her wand, was incased in ice. Screaming in pain and terror, Fairy Godmother collapsed to the floor.

Elisabeth turned to attack Jill, only for Chad, in a rare act of bravery, slammed a chair against the vampire's back. The chair broke into pieces yet Elisabeth was unharmed, other than a bruised ego. Jay, Carlos and Doug rushed at and tried to wrestle Elisabeth to the floor, only for the three boys to find themselves thrown against the walls. Jay hit the blackboard and collapsed in a small cloud of chalk, Doug landed in a bookcase and partly buried by books and paper, while Carlos found himself sticking halfway in the wall, the other half out into the hallway.

"You…you morons!" snapped Elisabeth as she focused her wrath on a now cowering Chad, "how dare you! Don't you realize what I can do!? You want to get frozen solid like a meat popsicle?!"

"Uh…I…Uh…" said Chad as he found himself backed into a corner with his knees quivering like jelly, "uh…"

"Oh relax," said a contemptuous Elisabeth, "I'm not gonna freeze you." She then glared with even greater repulsion at Chad's sigh of relief.

"No, I've got another power I want to try out on you," said Elisabeth. Twin streams of pressurized fluid shot from her eyes like laser beams, cutting through Chad's left leg above the kneecap. Losing balance, Chad fell to the floor, wailing in agony as he clutched his mangled thigh.

"Now, about her," said Elisabeth as she turned to face Jill, whom was desperately trying to get up.

"CASSANDRA!" shouted Audrey. Elisabeth turned around and saw Audrey, her face set with righteous indignation and holding the heaviest object she could find; a trophy.

Elisabeth laughed derisively, "oh, JoJo, do you really think you can hurt me with that piece of…"

Audrey swung the trophy and hit Elisabeth on the forehead, causing the vampire to stagger back several paces.

"Wha…what?" asked an astonished Elisabeth as she felt her head, realizing that she had been cut and bruised, "how…"

Audrey didn't give Elisabeth a chance to finish as she hurried over and swung the trophy again, hitting Elisabeth on the other side of the head and knocking her out cold.

Astonished at what she did, Audrey dropped the now dented trophy and staggered back and almost tripped over a chair.

It was at that moment when Mal, Ben and Evie rushed into the room, "oh my God!" exclaimed Ben, "what happened here?"

"Audrey's friend nearly killed us!" wailed Chad as he clutched his wounded leg, "she crippled me! I'll never play Tourney or R.O.A.R. or anything else again!"

"Oh shut up you big _babby_!" exclaimed Jill, her strength returning as she hurried over to the window, where Andrew was trying to climb through.

"I'm alright," said a slightly gorgy Andrew as Jill helped him back inside, "lucky the grass in Auradon is so soft, and we're on the ground floor."

"No, you're just a lucky bastard," said Jill, "good thing you're my lucky bastard."

"You know who else is lucky?" Jay asked as he and Doug tried to pull Carlos out from the wall, "this guy for having such a hard head!"

"Stop making jokes and get me out of here!" shouted Carlos from the hallway, "hurry before the blood sucking freak wakes up!"

"She's not waking up any time soon, I reckon," said Andrew as he cautiously checked the unconscious Elisabeth.

"How?" Mal asked as she used a controlled fireball to melt the ice on Fairy Godmother's arm, "we heard the fighting halfway across the school."

"We thought she was killing someone," said Evie as she helped Jay and Doug free Carlos.

"I…I just hit her and she went down," said Audrey, "what have I done?"

"You discovered something very useful," said Jill as she picked up the dented trophy, "vampires truly are weak against silver."

"Good to know," said Fairy Godmother as she shook her defrosted yet slightly numb arm, "now, about her," she aimed her wand at Elisabeth and bound the unconscious vampire with silver shackles.

"Please, don't kill her," Audrey begged, "she was only defending herself and…"

"I'm not taking any chances," said Fairy Godmother, "she's too dangerous. I'm sorry, Audrey, but your grandmother was right."

"Ben, Mal, please!" said Audrey, "tell Fairy Godmother to stop! Don't let her hurt Cassandra! Not after what Cassandra did for us!"

"She did kinda save us, you know," said Mal, "but…"

"I get it, Mal," said Ben, "Fairy Godmother, please stand down."

"Your Majesty!" exclaimed Fairy Godmother, "have you taken leave of your senses!? Has everyone gone mad!?"

"No, we haven't," said Ben confidently, "I'm thinking quite clearly. Elisabeth must answer for her crime, and she will, justly."

* * *

A short time later found our heroes back in the makeshift conference room with the gathered Princesses, Princes and Heroes.

"Okay, Elisabeth is secured in an empty storage closet in the basement," said Ben, "now all we need to do is…"

"What we need to do is destroy her!" shouted Cinderella, "she crippled my baby boy!"

"For crying out loud, Ella, Chad's fine!" said Mulan, "or he will be after he gets out of the hospital."

"Yeah, modern medicine can do incredible things, even without magic," said Aurora.

"He'll be fine," said Phillip, "he might need a lot of physical therapy, and psychological counselling, but he'll be back to his usual absent minded self soon enough."

"I'm more worried about what that freak did to my mom!" said a much more lucid Jane as she held Fairy Godmother's defrosted arm protectively, "are you sure you're alright, mom?"

"I'm fine, Jane," said Fairy Godmother, "just a little tingly where Elisabeth touched me, that's all. Who would have thought that girl had that much power?"

"We shouldn't wait to find out what else the creature can do," said Kit, "let's destroy it now before it feeds on anyone else!"

"No, not yet!" Ben insisted as he saw the outraged look on Audrey, "we're not killing her yet."

"Why wait?!" Kit asked irately, "why take the chance with any more innocent lives! That girl the vampire attacked, she's lucky to be alive with her soul intact."

"For that we can thank Jill," said Belle.

"Please, put it on my bill," said Jill smugly.

"I have to agree with Kit and so many others on this, son," said Beast to Ben, "I know how grateful you, Mal and the others are for what Elisabeth did for you in Transdoria, but she's too dangerous."

"She's more than just a friend whom we owe one, dad," said Ben, "Elisabeth is under political asylum from her family and Transdoria."

"Well, it appears her actions have revoked her asylum," said Cinderella.

"You saying we should throw her back to her folks?" Evie asked, "you can't!"

"Heinrich will either tear her apart or hand her over to Adriane for dissection or something," said Lonnie, "and that other Shadowcast scientist, Dr. Orange, she wants Elisabeth destroyed even more than we do!"

"She's not going anywhere!" said Ben, "not without a fair trial that is. Elisabeth broke the law and therefore must be considered a Villain."

"Wait, what?" Carlos asked.

"You're not seriously considering roping Elisabeth in with our parents?" Jay asked, "please tell me you're not thinking about shipping her off to The Isle of The Lost!"

"I don't know who'll suffer more," said Mal, "Her or everyone else still on The Isle."

"Everyone, please," said Audrey, "don't do this to Cassandra! Yes, she attacked an innocent, but now we know she need fresh human blood to survive."

"So?" Jay asked, "what, do you want us to let her suck out our blood?"

"No, not like that," said Audrey, "we could donate blood, or come up with a synthetic substitute. If all else fails we can use magic to make blood."

She looked at Ben with sincere pleading eyes, "I have to believe there's still good in her. If we would just give her a chance, I know she can prove herself to be good."

"I'm sorry, Audrey," said Queen Leah as she stood at the doorway with a man wearing a brown cloak, "but we can't take that chance."

"Oh there you are," said Belle, "for a moment we all thought you went to bed early."

"I'm going to ignore that," said Queen Leah as she walked in, "I apologize for my tardiness, but I had to meet my old friend who's come a long way in Auradon's hour of need. Permit me to introduce David Joachamin, vampire hunter."

"Your grace," said David Jochamin as he walked forward and bowed to Ben. He was tall with blading white hair and several scars on a deeply tanned face. Though appearing over 70, he was well muscled and moved with a lifetime of training and experience. In one hand he carried a black suitcase.

"You apparently come highly recommended, Mr. Jochamin," said Ben, "but how do you and Queen Leah know each other."

"Oh, we go way, way back, your grace," said David, "I knew Queen Leah back when she was Princess Leah, long before her marriage to King Stephen."

"David served in my father's kingdom as an official vampire hunter," said Queen Leah, "one of several who protected the realms against the horrors of the undead, and they did a very, very good job of it too."

"We'd all but exterminated _Nosferatu_ from the world," said David, "as were the Stone Masks that created them. Unfortunately, another Stone Mask was put into use."

"You know about The Stone Masks?" Mal asked

"I spent decades tracking down and destroying as many as I could," said David, "but there's always more cropping up just when you think you've finished. Fortunately, I'm not alone in my ventures in vampire hunting.

"I come from a long and proud line of vampire hunters who also fight other things that go bump in the night. In recent years my family and other hunters organized and formed a unified group; The Watchtower Initiative. We're not just specially trained warriors who fight evil, we also employ psychics and magic users.

"But I'm not here to give a detailed history of The Initiative. I've come for one purpose; to destroy Elisabeth von Karstein."

"No," said Audrey quietly, glaring defiantly at Daivd.

"How do you know Elisabeth?" Evie asked.

"I was warned about here long before Queen Leah reached out to me," said David, "to make a long story short, one particular esper in The Initiative, a clairvoyant, had a prophetic vision concerning Elisabeth von Karstein. If was foretold that a troubled girl from a troubled land would fall from grace into vampirehood."

"You knew Heinrich would use The Stone Mask on her?" Audrey asked, "you knew that monster would turn his own daughter into a monster?! And you did nothing?!"

"We did not know the name of the girl," said David calmly, "only that she would be the first pureblood vampire to be created via a Stone Mask in decades. But that's only the first part of the prophecy."

"There's more?" Doug asked as he eagerly took notes.

"Oh yes, so much more," said David, "the prophecy states that this new pureblood vampire would rise above other vampires to become a Queen of the undead and plunge the world into an endless necromantic nightmare. The Watchtower Initiative is convinced Elisabeth von Karstien is the vampire queen stated in the prophecy. She must be destroyed before she makes the world her undead bitch."

At that Ben, Mal and the others were left in stunned silence for several seconds before Aurora spoke up, "how do you know Elisabeth is the one from the prophecy?"

"And how can you rely on this prophecy?" Jane asked, "the future is never a certain thing and warnings about are often vague and misleading."

"This prophecy had specific details we were watching for," said David, "it said the vampire queen would come from a warlike nation seeking to conquer a larger, more peaceful kingdom, that her undeath would be forced upon her by her heartless father, that there would be those who seek to use her for their own dark purposes.

"The list of details goes on but needless to say, when Queen Leah told me of Elisabeth's origins, I knew with every fiber in my heart that she was the one in the prophecy."

"But how can you be so sure Elisabeth will turn out evil?" Lonnie asked, "how do you know Elisabeth will try to take over the world?"

"Not take over the world," said David, "kill it. If Elisabeth isn't stopped, she will spread death and destruction across the globe until only the undead are left moving."

"But how can you be sure she'll do it?" Jane asked.

"It's inevitable that she'll try," said David, "it's in the very nature of vampires to seek the blood of the living, to corrupt innocence and destroy all that is good, to spread their evil and make more vampires. Elisabeth's own traumas from her human life will compel to seek vengeance upon a world that, she believes, treated her most unfairly."

"I don't believe that!" said Evie, "I mean, I don't want to believe that. Yes, Elisabeth hates Heinrich, but she doesn't want to take over the world. She wants to save it from Heinrich's evil."

"And she doesn't hate us," said Jane, "she even loves Audrey like a sister, right, Audrey?"

"That's right, she and Audrey are like sisters!" said Lonnie, "Elisabeth's the only one who calls Audrey JoJo."

"I call her JoJo!" said an outraged Queen Leah.

"Yeah, well, she doesn't like it when you do it," said Jane, "Audrey, back me up on this, will you?"

At that everyone looked at Audrey, whom seemed ready to both explode and pass out. "I…I can't think about this right now."

"Oh, poor dear," said a worried Queen Leah, "you're still traumatized and exhausted from your ordeals. Let me take you back to bed."

" _I'll_ take her to bed, mother," Aurora insisted, "you just stay here and spout anti-vampire sentiments." With that she escorted Audrey out of the room.

"You see what that creature has done?!" snapped Queen Leah, "what it did to my granddaughter and daughter!"

"If it weren't for Elisabeth, none of us would have gotten out of Transdoria alive," Phillip insisted.

"I won't deny that she…assisted in the rescue," said Queen Leah, "but I hate it that Audrey is friends with that…that thing! I hate that she's so protective of the creature! Can't you all see it?! That undead abomination has corrupted my precious JoJo!"

"Elisabeth and Audrey were friends before Heinrich put the mask on her," said Mal, "she risked her life to confront Heinrich during the ball."

"I admit that the girl was good," said David, "and there may yet be some good left in her, but not for much longer. With every tick of the clock, the evil imposed by The Stone Mash is darkening her soul. It's only a matter of time before her heart is so full of hatred and disgust for humanity, she'll see us all as nothing more than fodder and potential undead slaves."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kit asked, "let's drag the thing outside, tie it down and wait for the sun to come up and burn it to ashes!"

"Or better yet, let Fairy Godmother use her wand on it," said Ella.

"I…I'd rather not," said Fairy Godmother as she looked at her still tingling arm.

"I doubt sunlight is enough to destroy Elisabeth," said Jill, "the good lady here, she used a spell of pure sunlight on the creature and she regenerated shortly afterwards."

"That's right, not even real sunlight was enough to stop Elisabeth," said Jay, "she got burned by the sun and she healed herself."

"I thought Elisabeth had chronic photosensitivity before she was a vampire," said Doug, "that she couldn't stand to be out in daylight."

"It's possible her undeath has interacted with her condition," said David, "if there were time, we'd study her, but she must be destroyed before she gets too strong to contain."

"How shall we do it then?" Ben asked.

"Aside from sunlight, there are two other methods of destroying vampires," said David, "a massive blast of Hamon energy will dissolve her undead cells. The Initiative has employed Hamon users for generations, though it will require several of our best users for an entity of Elisabeth's caliber."

"Well, you'd better get them here soon," said Andrew, "because Jill's still too weak to do it, and Leon and Kaylee aren't nearly as strong enough."

"I beg your pardon!" exclaimed Jill as she stood up, "I'm perfectly capable of vanquishing a vampire!"

"After all the effort you put into healing that girl less than an hour ago?" Andrew asked, "I think not! You shouldn't even be standing up!"

"Look who's talking?!" said Jill, "even less than an hour ago, you went head first through a glass window and onto the ground outside!"

"The grass was soft!" Andrew insisted.

"OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" bellowed Ben, startling everyone, "we're wasting time! Now, David, what's the other method of destroying vampires?"

"Three items are needed," said David, "The Stake, The Sword and The Flame. Piercing the vampire through the heart with wood or silver will paralyze the creature long enough to cut its head off; preferably with a sword but an axe or even a chainsaw will do. As for the flame, simply light the creature on fire and keep it burning until there's only ashes left. Sterilizing the ashes with holy water is a preferred option."

"Then let's get to it, already!" said Kit, "I'll bring the sword. Phillip, you get something sharp made from silver. Lady Mal, you can burn the creature if you feel like it."

"Not yet," said Ben as he sat with his head bent and hands clasped in thought, "I still haven't made up my mind."

"What else is there to decide!?" Queen Leah asked, "Elisabeth must be destroyed!"

"Your grace, I must insist we destroy the creature!" said David, "the fate of the world hangs in the balance!"

"And I'm supposed to take your world that Elisabeth is a threat to the entire world?" Ben asked.

"I can vouch for his world, your majesty!" Queen Leah insisted.

"And I can trust you when you're so driven by hate and jealousy?" Ben asked, "oh yes, you're jealous that Audrey's found such a kindred spirit, especially that Elisabeth's a vampire."

"Wha…how dare you!?" snapped Queen Leah, "how dare you accuse me of such blind bias! I only have the safety of Auradon and the world in mind! Have you been listening to anything I've said!?"

"Yes I have!" said Ben as he stood up and glared at Queen Leah, whom backed away, "now you'll listen to me: sit down and don't open your mouth again!"

Queen Leah looked ready to argue further, but another glare from Ben left her without the will to continue, so she sat down.

"I'd be a sorry excuse of a king to callously condemn someone to death without hearing all the facts," said Ben as he sat back down.

"I beg your pardon, your grace?" David asked, "you heard the details from the prophecy! Elisabeth von Karstein is destined to become the Queen of the vampires if she isn't stopped here and now! What other facts do you need to hear?!"

"Elisabeth's facts," said Mal calmly, "Ben wants to hear her side of the story. If you expect us to destroy Elisabeth without giving her a chance to explain herself, then we're all no better than my mother and the other Villains."

"I expect you all to do what is needed to protect humanity from an unholy abomination!" spat David, "and if none of you will do what must be done, then I'll…"

"You'll what?" Andrew asked as he pulled out a .38 Special yet kept his finger off the trigger, "you'll attack Ben or Mal or someone else? I know what you're capable of, David Jochamin, just as I know that under that cloak, you're armed to the teeth."

"And then there's the other vampire hunting toys you keep in your little black bag," said Jill as she eyed David's suitcase.

"Your zeal for the defense of humanity is appreciated," said Beast, "but in this case, my son has the final decision."

"Leah, for God's sake!" said David, "do something!"

"I…I can't," said a defeated Queen Leah, "I have no power in this situation. In matters of life or death for a prisoner, the sovereign of Auradon has the final say."

"And I'll decide soon enough," said Ben as he stood up, "I'm going to talk to Elisabeth and hear her side of the case. Once I have all the facts and thought it over, I'll let everyone know what to do."

* * *

Just outside the meeting, Audrey and Aurora stood listening as the argument over Elisabeth go back and forth.

"Mom, they're gonna kill her!" said Audrey, "they're gonna murder Cassandra!"

"Well, you have to admit, Audre," said Aurora, "she did try to kill you and your friends just now."

"She was acting in self-defense, mom!" said Audrey, "and she wouldn't have hurt me, I know she wouldn't! I just know there's still good in her! If I could just talk with her, I can prove that she's still good!"

"They'll never allow you do to do it," said Aurora, "Ben has Elisabeth locked in the basement and under guard. He'll never let you get close, and I'm not so sure I want you anywhere near her."

But then Aurora saw the heartbreak in Audrey's eyes, the mounting despair and agony roiling in her daughter's heart and that too made her heart break a little.

"This isn't just about friendship, is it?" Aurora asked, "Elisabeth, she's more than a sister to you, is she?"

"I…I don't know," said Audrey as new, confusing thoughts and feelings cascaded through her mind and heart, "but I do know is that I need to see Cassandra, alone, before Ben puts the screws to her."

"I know you do," said Aurora, "go to her, Audrey."

"Really?" Audrey asked.

"Yes, go," Aurora insisted, "I'll buy as much time for you as I can."

At that Audrey flung her arms around her mother in a loving embrace, "oh, thank you! Thank you, thank you thank you!"

"I'm so gonna regret this later," said Aurora, "now go before I try and stop you!"

"Thank you!" said Audrey one last time before hurrying down the hallway.

Aurora could only smile at her daughter, before going back into the meeting, "Audrey's gone to bed, she's had a rough time. So, what'd I miss?"

"A lot," said Mal, Jay, Evie and Carlos at the same time.

"Well then," said Aurora as she sat down next to Phillip, crossed her legs and smiled pleasantly, "would you mind filling me in? And spare no details, I'm all ears."

* * *

Audrey hurried through the school as fast as she could without drawing attention from those still awake, hoping against hope that she'd get to where she so desperately wanted to be before someone stopped her.

She reached the first of her goals, the stairs to the basement, without Ben, Mal or the others catching up with her. As she walked down the stairs and calmed her pounding heart, Audrey muddled over what her mother asked; was her feelings for Elisabeth just that of worried over a girl who was like a sister? Or was it deeper than that? And just how deep did her feelings go and what did it mean for Audrey herself?

Once in the basement proper, Audrey followed a trail of lights to where a dozen Auradon policemen were standing guard outside a door.

Brushing her clothes free of dust and wrinkles and running fingers through her hair, Audrey regained her composure and approached the guards, "King Ben sent me to check on the prisoner."

"Princess Audrey, ma'am!" said one of the guards as he and the others saluted. Without question, another guard unlocked the door, "just be careful. The creature's chained up, but…"

"I won't get close, I promise," said Audrey as she gave the guards an appreciative smile. She walked in and closed the door behind her

What she saw made Audrey's blood pressure spike with outrage. There hung in the air was Elisabeth, her arms and legs pulled to their limits by silver chains attached to the ceiling and floor, while more chains crossed her body and several heavy links wrapped across her forehead. Elisabeth herself breathed sharply as if in pain, as if the silver chains were harming her.

"Oh my gosh! Cassandra!" said Audrey as she hurried over.

"Hi, JoJo," said Elisabeth weakly, "they let you see me."

"Just hang on! I'll get you lose somehow!" said Audrey.

Elisabeth laughed at Audrey's unintended pun, "don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" Audrey asked.

"Aside from these horrible chains, no," said Elisabeth, "and you beaming me on the head twice. Seriously, I didn't know you were so strong."

"Silver, silver hurts you somehow," said Audrey as she franticly looked around, "now how do I get you out of those chains? I can't ask for the key the guards, they'd stop me in a heartbeat."

"Why are you doing this, JoJo?" Elisabeth asked, "you're not seriously trying to help me escape? Not that I don't appreciate it."

"I…I don't know," said Audrey, "it's just, oh Cassandra, why did you do it?"

"I am what I am, JoJo," said Elisabeth, "a vampire; I needed human blood and I took it from an innocent."

"But you don't have to do it again," said Audrey eagerly, "my friends and I, we can donate blood, or someone can come up with synthetic blood, anything to keep you from attacking people and making more vampires; I'll do whatever it takes to prove you're still good."

"I believe you'll try," said an astonished Elisabeth, "but why are you so eager to do so? Unless…"

"They're gonna kill you, Cassandra," said Audrey, "my grandmother, she brought her old vampire hunter boyfriend to destroy you. They're gonna stab you in the heart, cut off your head and burn you alive?"

"Un-alive you mean," said Elisabeth, "but maybe they should destroy me."

"What?" Audrey asked, "I must be more tired than I thought, because I don't think I heard you right."

"You heard me right, JoJo," said Elisabeth, "it'd be better if I were destroyed, now, while there is still some good left in me."

"I don't understand," said Audrey, "do you really want to die?"

"There's a darkness in me, JoJo," said Elisabeth, "a thirst that's greater than my need for blood. I can feel the evil in my heart growing, and it scares me. I honestly fear that I'll turn evil, just like my father turned evil when my mother died."

"But you're nothing like your father!" said Audrey, "you want to keep us safe from him!"

"I want to rend him into bloody fragments and start on my brothers!" snapped Elisabeth, "or maybe start with my brothers and make my father watch as I wipe his progeny from the world one by one!

"Either way, there is hate and rage in me that I fear may turn on you, JoJo, and I'd rather die again than hurt you."

"You'd do that for me?" Audrey asked.

"Of course I would, JoJo," said Elisabeth, "I love you."

"I love you too, Cassandra," said Audrey as tears began to well up in her eyes, "and not just because we're like sisters. Ever since we met in your disappointment rooms I had this feeling that we were meant to find each other, that we're meant for each other."

"I also felt that," said an astonished Elisabeth, "and whenever I saw Willhelm or any of my brothers, touch you, I wanted to rip them apart and comfort you, to make you forget they ever laid a molecule on your body and make you feel warm and safe."

"And when Heinrich used the Stone Mask on you, I felt part of myself die with you," said Audrey, "and when I realized you were back, I felt such joy, it was like my heart was gonna explode. Oh my god, I…I think I'm…in love with you."

"I think I'm in love with you too," said Elisabeth, "but…we just met, we barely know each other."

"My parents barely knew each other when they fell in love," said Audrey proudly, "they're soul mates. So many famous couples in Auradon are soul mates who fell in love at first sight."

"But…we're both girls," said Elisabeth.

"Anyone who says that true love can only be between a boy and a girl is an idiot," said Audrey as she smiled warmly, "now let's get you out of those chains, then we'll figure out what to do." She examined the chains and found the whole setup was secured by a single, silver-plated padlock.

"Too bad there's no secret passages in here so a introverted, crippled girl can drop a bobby pin or something," said Elisabeth.

At that Audrey smiled even brighter and pulled a bobby pin from her hair, "now, how did Evie do it? If she can pick the lock on a window, I can pick a simple padlock, can I?"

"I don't know," said Elisabeth, "that Fairy Godmother, she conjured these chains out of thin air, you'd think she'd have more than just a padlock to keep them in place."

"Any other fairy godmother would," said Audrey as she worked the bobby pin into the lock and jiggled it about, "but our Fairy Godmother, she's trying to get everyone to go without magic as much as possible." She then gasped in triumphant surprise as the tumblers clicked into place and the lock opened.

"It worked!" said Audrey as she took the lock off the chains and started unwinding them from Elisabeth, "it actually worked! I guess I'm a bit of a VK after all!"

"You're just you, JoJo," said Elisabeth as Audrey loosed enough of the chains to let her down to the floor, "and that's what I love so much about you; you're one in a million."

"We're both unique, Cassandra," said Audrey, "I guess that's why we're meant for each other."

"But can we truly be together?" Elisabeth asked, "how do you know I won't succumb to my thirst for blood and suck you dry? How do you know I won't turn on your friends?"

"Because I believe you wouldn't," said Audrey, "and until I see otherwise, that's enough for me." She then finished freeing Elisabeth from the chains, "can you stand up?"

"I can run and fight if I have to," said Elisabeth as she and Audrey stood up, "I'm feeling much better now that all this silver isn't touching me. Okay, so, now what?"

"Uh…I don't know," said a somewhat embarrassed Audrey, "I really haven't thought this far in advance."

"Well…that's okay, I'll think of something," said Elisabeth.

"No, I think I have an idea," said Audrey, "no matter what Ben decides, that vampire hunter my grandmother brought in is gonna try and kill you, so you have to run for it."

"Run for it?" Elisabeht asked.

"Yes, run away for now," said Audrey, "get out of Auradon and lay low until we can figure out how to call off the vampire hunter and his friends."

"Okay, but what about you?" Elisabeth asked, "they're gonna want to know how I escaped and what your part in it was?"

"I'll say I wanted to confront you and denounce our friendship," said Audrey. She then smiled mischievously, "I think I'm gonna like lying to my grandmother. Anyway, I can say the lock gave way or you unlocked it with your mind or something. You then knocked me out, fought your way past the guards and ran out of the school and into the night."

"I can take care of the guards without hurting them too much," said Elisabeth, "I'm not thirsty right now, so I won't take their blood. But…" she looked at Audrey earnestly, "I don't want to hurt you, JoJo, and I don't want to leave you alone here."

"I won't be alone," said Audrey, "I have my parents and my friends. And my grandmother too, she's not a bad person, just overprotective."

"I still don't like thinking about leaving you behind," said Elisabeth. She then smiled with an idea, "you can come with me."

"Come with you?" Audrey asked.

"Yes, come with me," said Elisabeth, "we can escape together! Just the two of us against a world that doesn't understand. We can go back to Transdoria and stop my father and brothers! We can destroy Shadowcast! We can take back and destroy The Stone Mask! Or…" her smile then turned slightly dark.

"Or what?" Audrey asked cautiously.

"Or we can use the mask," said Elisabeth, "on you. Let me make you immortal, JoJo."

"You mean…" a shocked Audrey asked.

"Just think of it, JoJo!" said Elisabeth, "The Stone Mask turned me from a plain, crippled girl into this ravishing superstar! Imagine what it can do to you! We can be young and beautiful forever!

"And think of the power you'll gain! No one would be able to hurt you again! We can take on the world together and fight evil in the night!"

"That…that actually sounds kinda nice," said Audrey in a distant tone as her mind and heart were severely tempted.

"We can even use my father's blood to activate the mask and he can be your fist victim," said Elisabeth, "we can feed on the blood of the world's wicked and protect the innocent! Imagine it; two immortal beauties fighting for love and justice until the end of time!"

Audrey was left speechless and Elisabeth's offer rampaged inside her; having discovered that Elisabeth was her soul mate, she desperately wanted to be with her, but at what cost? Would she slowly develop an overpowering darkness in her heart that she'd have to constantly struggle to control? Would she be forever tempted to sake her thirst for the blood of the innocent?

And what of her friends and family? If Audrey became immortal, what would happen to her mother, father, Ben, Mal and the others? Audrey imagined all her loved ones growing old and dying one by one while she and Elisabeth went on and on and on.

"I…I can't," said Audrey, "I mean I want to, I really, really want to, but…"

"I understand," said a disappointed yet hopeful Elisabeth, "you can't leave your friends and family. That's something I envy about you, JoJo; you have an extended family who loves you, and I guess I love that about you as well."

"And I love that no matter what Heinrich or your brothers did to you, it never broke your spirit, Cassandra" said Audrey. She sighed, "we can wax how much we love each other all night, but that vampire hunter's gonna try something and I don't want you here to see what it is."

"Alright, then," said Elisabeth, "now, I'm gonna have to make it look like I broke out on my own, so that means I have to hurt you a bit."

"Whatever it takes," said Audrey, "just…just…"

"I'll make it quick, I promise," said Elisabeth. She then raised her right hand to backhand Audrey across the face.

"Wait a second! Wait a second!" said Audrey, "hit me on the right, my left side is my good side."

"Oh, okay," said Elisabeth as she lowered her hand and raised the other. With as little force as she could and wincing in anticipation, she struck.

Audrey was forced against the wall and fell to the floor in a dazed heap.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry!" exclaimed Elisabeth as she knelt down, "I'm so sorry!"

"No…this…this is perfect," said Audrey as she gingerly touched the bruise forming on her right cheekbone, wincing at the pain, "I think you cracked the bone, good job."

"I'm so sorry," said a frantic Elisabeth, "I'll kiss it and make it all better like mother did whenever I was clumsy and hurt myself!" she gently kissed Audrey on the cheek, then kissed again, and again.

Almost instantly, the pain let Audrey's assaulted face, as if Elisabeth's lips had healing properties. Turning her face, Audrey felt Elisabeth's next kiss fall on her lips. Both girls felt a spark of something more than electricity shoot through them. Elisabeth backed away in surprise as she touched her lips with her fingertips while Audrey touched hers.

Cautiously, Elisabeth kissed Audrey again. They both felt another spark of energy.

"What's happening?" Audrey asked after they broke contact.

"I don't know," said Elisabeth, "but I want to see where this goes." She then kissed Audrey again. Audrey returned the kiss with growing passion as she placed her arms around Elisabeth's neck. The spark became a current of energy that slowly grew with intensity.

"This…this is right," said Audrey as they briefly broke contact, "I want this."

"Me too, JoJo!" said Elisabeth. They kissed again, then Elisabeth kissed Audrey's neck.

"Yes! More!" said Audrey as she felt Elisabeth's lips on her carotid artery. Elisabeth felt her vampire heart beating as she felt Audrey's pulse. Her teeth parted and her tongue touched Audrey's skin and Audrey cried out in loving pleasure.

Never before had either girl felt so much love and desire and they both desperately wanted to see this through to the end. Yet for Elisabeth, she felt something else beside love and desire. Something darker was driving her, something that made her want to elongate her teeth into fangs and tear into Audrey's flesh, to seek out and sever the vessels where Audrey's precious blood flowed.

"NO!" shouted Elisabeth as she forced herself away from Audrey. She then saw the look of hurt and longing on Audrey and realized she too wanted her back in her arms.

"I'm sorry, JoJo," said Elisabeth as she backed away, "I had to stop myself before I lost control."

"I know, Cassandra," said Audrey as she felt her neck, holding onto the memory of Elisabeth's lips on her pulse, "I'm glad you did, because for a moment, I wanted you to lose control. I wanted you to take me."

"And I would have regretted it for the rest of my life," said Elisabeth, "however long that would have been." She reached out and gently took Audrey's hand in hers, "goodbye, JoJo, may we meet again in better times." With that she turned around, kicked the door off its hinges and burst into the hallway. And instant later the air was filled with the terrified shouts of the guards as Elisabeth beat them unconscious.

"Goodbye, my darling Cassandra," said Audrey as began to cry.

 _ **…to be continued.**_


	14. Epilog

**Epilog**

"I still remember that first makeout session, JoJo," said Cassandra Bloodclaw as she and Audrey faced each other on the hospital rooftop. Lightning flashed overhead and rain fell on the two lovers torn apart by cruel destiny.

"Me too, Cassandra," said Audrey as she touched her neck where, so many months ago, she felt her lover's lips on her pulse, "I sometimes dream about how far we would have gone. But you had to leave. I still find it hard to believe I convinced Ben, Mal and the others that you broke out on your own. I guess I'm more of a VK than I knew, even back then."

"There's more darkness in your heart than you realize," said the scarred and rag-bound vampire with the glowing violet eyes.

"And there's still light in yours," said Audrey, "I want to believe we would have been happy together."

"As do I," said Cassandra, "but our chance at happiness came and went like a thief in the night. Now there is only pain and misery between us."

"That's not true!" said Jane as she stepped forward. She and Lonnie had been listening to Audrey and Cassandra reminisce about the past.

"There's always a chance for happiness, Elisabeth!" Jane insisted, "you and Audrey can still be together!"

"Have you lost it or something?!" exclaimed Lonnie, "didn't you hear what Audrey said?! She's the one who let that…that thing!" she pointed at the ragged vampire, "that inhuman abomination, loose on the world! It's Audrey's fault Jay and the others got hurt so much!"

"Yes, it's my fault!" snapped Audrey, "and I'd do it again if I could! If I could relive that night again, I'd still set Cassandra free!"

"Because you love her," said Lonnie contemptuously.

"Yes, because I love her," said Audrey, "and she'd do the same thing for me if things were reversed."

"I should have let you jump, you traitor!" said Lonnie as her dragon-like Stand appeared next to her, "I'd be doing the world a favor if I threw you off the roof myself!"

"Just you try it!" said Audrey defiantly as her Stand made from rose vines materialized next to her.

'NO! Stop It!" shouted Jane as she stood between her two friends, breathing furiously as her body glowed with Hamon, "I won't let you two hurt each other! Not after everything that's happened!"

"Oh yes, everything that's happened since Audrey let that blood sucking freak loose!" said Lonnie, "the battles with Transdoria and Shadowcast; all the super soldiers and war machines, all of Dr. Orange's metal monsters, not to mention the regular soldiers enhanced by drugs."

"Let's not forget how Uma nearly won with the help of her magic tutor," said Audrey, "none of which I had anything to do with. In fact, Cassandra helped us beat them! She even helped with…with…"

"With Chad?!" Lonnie asked, "like we could forget how he went crazy after he got that cybernetic implant for his leg, which Elisabeth hurt in the first place."

"Yeah, that kinda was on me," said Cassandra, "but it's not my fault JoJo's ex became a metal fetishist and wanted to rule the world with an army of cyborgs."

"No, you just wanted to take over the world with a army of vampires!" said Lonnie, "David Jochamin was right; you are the Vampire Queen warned about in the prophecy."

"I think we determined that prophecies aren't always accurate," said Jane, "look, we can all shout at each other all night, or we can let it go and get back to our lives."

"You really expect me to stop, Jane?" Lonnie asked, "after everyone who died, after all the hurt and suffering inflicted on the living and dead? After all that, you really think I'll simply forgive and forget?"

"Yes," said Jane confidently, "because unlike other people we know," she gestured towards the harbor and The Isle of The Lost, "you're not the type to hold a grudge."

For a few seconds, Lonnie looked ready to explode with outrage, but then calmed down as her Stand vanished, "you're right," she sighed as her anger deflated, "I'm not like that."

"And I'm not like that either," said Audrey as her Stand vanished as well.

"Now that we're all calmed down again," said Jane as the effulgence of Hamon slowly faded from her body, "we can figure out how to tell Ben, Mal and the others that Elisabeth's still alive and wants to join us and…"

"No, I won't be joining you," said Cassandra.

"Of course you will," said Jane, "all the baddies are either gone or locked up. Even Harriet and what's left of her crew are staying in Auradon, at least until they get The Gray Phantom fixed again, but…"

"There is no but," said Cassandra, "I said I was leaving Auradon for good and I meant it."

"You really are leaving?" Audrey asked.

"If there's one thing I've learned in my second life, JoJo," said Cassandra, "I have no place in such a land of goodness. Your people will always look at me and see what they want to see; a monster."

"Then I'll make them see you otherwise!" said Audrey as she walked over and took Cassandra's bandage-wrapped hand in hers, "please, Cassandra, don't leave me again."

"I…I must," said Cassandra as she pulled away, "no matter how hard I fight it, I am and will always be vampire; forever destined to wander the night, forever thirsting for blood of the innocent. I must get away before I succumb to my darkness, before I stir up more trouble."

"But where will you go?" Audrey asked, the tears falling from her eyes blending with the rain.

"I don't know," said Cassandra, "but I do know that wherever I go, no matter how far away I wind up, my heart will always belong to yours, JoJo."

"And mine will always be yours, Cassandra," said Audrey, "I'll love you until time stops."

"As will I, JoJo," said Cassandra, "as will I." With that she dashed for the edge of the roof and jumped off in time for Audrey and the others to shield their eyes from a flash of lightning. When the girls could see again, they hurried to the edge and looked around, yet there was no sign of the vampire who had been Elisabeth von Karstein.

"Goodbye, my darling Cassandra," whispered Audrey as she held a hand out to the night sky.

"Ben and Mal are gonna kill you when they find out," said Lonnie.

"I know," said Audrey, "but as we've seen, death isn't the worst thing that can happen to someone. Maybe in my next life, things will have changed for Cassandra and we can be together then."

"She does have plenty of time to wait for you," said Jane, "and if there's one thing I know, it's that love, true love, finds a way, always."

"Yeah," said Lonnie, "but for now, let's get inside before we all get pneumonia or something."

"I just want to get dry and go to sleep," said Jane, "and not wake up for a week."

"A week in bed sounds good right about now," said Audrey as she and her friends went back inside. But Audrey held back as Jane and Lonnie went through the door. She looked back towards the skyline of Auradon City. Her heart fluttered for an instant as she thought she saw someone standing on a building nearby, then shrugged it off as wishful thinking as she went inside.

 _ **The End of Part 1**_

 _ **But Audrey Josephine Joestar and her friends will return in Part 2; in which we learn more of the war against Transdoria and what transpired in it, as well as face a new threat to Auradon and it's people. Until then!**_


End file.
